Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Get Growing

Even a person like me, who lives in a condo specifically to avoid yardwork, can enjoy growing food. The effort required is small, and the rewards are great.

It’s hard to beat the freshness, flavor and quality of homegrown herbs and vegetables. Talk about eating locally and seasonally! Growing part of your own food can save you money, too. And perhaps best of all, it fosters a connection to the natural world, even in the middle of a city.

For example, this past weekend marked a true changing of the seasons. I cleaned up the tattered remains of the summer garden from pots on the deck – goodbye, dear basil! – and planted the first fall crop in a jar in the kitchen. The harvest of sprouts will begin in a day or two.

Sprouts may be the easiest food of all to grow. To give you an idea of what’s involved, I’ll tell you how my garden grows. It takes:

1 quart-size glass Mason jar;
Cheesecloth;
A sturdy rubber band;
Two bowls, one medium-size and one large;
Mix of alfalfa, radish and clover seeds for sprouting;
Lots of water.

Begin by putting 3 tablespoons of seeds into the jar. Fill the jar about halfway with warm water, and soak the seeds overnight to germinate.

The next morning, cover the top of the jar with a double layer of cheesecloth, and use the rubber band to hold it on. Drain the seeds. Then refill the jar with water, swirl it around to rinse the seeds, and drain them again thoroughly. Rotate the jar to distribute the seeds as evenly as possible, and then prop it at an angle in the medium-size bowl, top-side down so that it can continue to drain. Set the bowl in a warm place - the top of the refrigerator works well.

The seeds need to be rinsed and drained morning and evening, and the jar propped back in the bowl to drain. And that’s it. The rest of the time, they just quietly grow and grow.

When the sprouts get to be an inch or two long, develop little leaves and nearly fill the jar, they’re ready to eat. At that point, it’s good to remove as many of the seed hulls as possible. Put the sprouts into the large bowl, and cover them with water. Most of the hulls will float to the top, where they can be skimmed off and discarded.

Put the sprouts back into the jar, cover it loosely (the sprouts are living things and need to breathe), and store in the refrigerator. These sprouts can be enjoyed in many sandwiches and salads.

In addition to seeds, many grains and beans can be sprouted. Sprouted grain can be used in baked goods, and bean sprouts are delicious in stir-fries or other cooked dishes. Different sprouts are grown in slightly different ways, you may want to do a little research before you get started.

I follow the brief sprouting guide in Lorna Sass’s book “Recipes From an Ecological Kitchen.” But you can find detailed instructions in other books, and at many sites on the Internet. A thorough site is Sproutpeople’s “Sprout Basics” at http://www.sproutpeople.com/grow/sprouting.html

Friday, November 10, 2006

Very Vegetarian Society

Tuesday night, Julie and I visited the monthly meeting of Winston-Salem’s own Very Vegetarian Society at Miller Park Recreation Center. The group was founded in 1990 by Ann and Wes Weaver, and it meets on the first Tuesday of every month.

It’s a shame that it took us this long to get to a meeting, but my work hours usually keep me from evening activities. There were about 10 members there that night—attendence averages from eight to 20, I was told, although there are about 100 members in the group. We shared a wonderful vegan potluck dinner—it’s a rare treat to be able to sample every dish at a buffet or potluck dinner! Then we settled back to listen to a presentation by dietician Dayle Fuentes of BestHealth—though I’m not sure “settled” is the correct word, since we had a lot of questions and discussion about the topic!

Vegetarians are well on their way to having a heart-healthy lifestyle because of our food choices, but avoiding meat isn’t the only answer. Did you know that 40 percent of the deaths in the United States are blamed on some type of cardiovascular problem? I knew it was a major factor, but I didn’t know it was that major.

It was fun to mingle with other vegetarians of all ages, and I hope that we can make it to some more meetings.Check out the group’s Web site for more information about how to join, nutrition information and a reading list.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Veggin’ on the Road, Part II

Here are a few more restaurants that are worth a drive for a hungry vegetarian. This time, the road leads to Greensboro:

BOBA HOUSE is a completely vegetarian restaurant, with many vegan options. It’s a small, laid-back restaurant at 332 Tate St. near the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Most of the items feature faux meats - “chicken,” “duck,” “beef” or “seafood” - in addition to tofu. Everything I’ve tried has been delicious, and attractively presented. In addition to the vegetarian dishes, Boba House features a large menu of teas. The most unusual is the array of boba, or bubble, teas. These fruit- or coffee-flavored drinks include “bubbles” of tapioca or coconut jelly that you drink up through an extra-wide straw. The boba teas are colorful, sweet and fun; more like dessert than a beverage. You can read more about Boba House’s food and bubble teas on its Web site at www.bobahouse.com

Also near UNCG, at 1601 Spring Garden St., JACK’S CORNER serves tempting Mediterranean food in a casual, deli-style atmosphere. It’s not completely vegetarian, but there are many choices, and vegetarian and vegan items are clearly marked on the menu. I generally choose a combination plate that has such delights as hummus, baba ghanouj (eggplant dip), falafel with tahini sauce, tabouli salad, and warm pita bread.... All so tasty.

At 2505 BattleGround Ave., HEALTHY SPICE is an elegant, sit-down restaurant. Though the menu includes some seafood, there are so many vegetarian and vegan choices that it takes a long time to consider them all and make a decision. The menu is innovative, combining influences from across the globe. As the name suggests, the restaurant focuses on making food healthy as well as delicious. Many meals include soup, salad, entree and dessert for a very reasonable price. The restaurant has a Web site at http://www.healthyspicerestaurant.com but does not yet have its menu posted. There are photos of several dishes, though, so you can get an idea of what to expect.

Friday, November 03, 2006

The return of spinach

The last time I went grocery shopping, I saw that fresh spinach was back on the store shelves. However, I didn’t buy any. Before the E. coli scare, I always had fresh spinach in my refrigerator. However, when given the opportunity to purchase it again, I didn’t quite trust it. Even though the FDA says it’s safe to eat now, I wasn’t quite ready to buy it again.

I’m not the only one who’s having a knee-jerk leery reaction to spinach. Even the sales of other pre-packaged greens have taken a hit. The industry is currently searching for ways to win back consumer confidence.

I love fresh spinach and greens, so I’m certain I will get over my wariness and start buying fresh spinach again. I’m not sure how long it will take, though. Maybe the next time I go grocery shopping, I’ll put a bag of spinach in my cart again.

What about you? Are you eagerly buying spinach again, or are you a bit wary, too? And if you are, what do you think it will take for you to trust spinach again?

By the way, in case you haven’t heard, investigators now seem to be focusing on wild pigs, of all things as the culprit in the E. coli outbreak.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Celebrating Veganism

VEGANISM may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.

In dietary terms it refers to the practice of dispensing with *all* animal produce - including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey, and their derivatives. - Definition from the International Vegetarian Union, at http://www.ivu.org/faq/definitions.html

Tomorrow - Nov. 1 - will be World Vegan Day (www.worldveganday.org). It celebrates the 62nd anniversary of the Vegan Society, which was founded in November 1944 in Great Britain.

Though I don’t know of any local events in honor of World Vegan Day, I thought it might be a good time to address a question I frequently get: What is wrong with milk and eggs?

People generally understand that eating meat involves killing animals, so they “get” the motive behind my vegetarianism. They may also accept that vegetarianism can be good for people’s health, and for the health of the environment.

But many don’t understand why I’m striving to go vegan. It’s simple: The same reasons apply, only more so…. In fact, it is said that the word vegan was formed “by taking the first three and last two letters of vegetarian, - ‘because veganism starts with vegetarianism and carries it through to its logical conclusion.’”

The modern, industrial-style production of dairy products and eggs involves suffering that is at least as extreme as that experienced by animals raised primarily for their flesh. And once their production declines, “dairy” cows and “egg-laying” hens are also sent to the slaughterhouse.

The health and environmental considerations also apply for many vegans, so much so that this year, the World Vegan Day celebration focuses on the environmental benefits of a vegan diet.

There are many sources online to learn more about how and why to go vegan. If you’d like to learn more, in honor of World Vegan Day, here are a couple to get you started:

Farm Sanctuary has a wonderful Veg for Life campaign site at www.vegforlife.org. Three major sections, “For Health,” “For Animals” and “For Earth” explore the reasons to go vegan. The “For Animals” section gives the facts on animal agriculture by telling the stories of three animals who live at Farm Sanctuary’s shelter in New York, Kari the pig, Daisy the hen and Phoebe the cow.

Veg for Life also includes helpful, positive information on how to go vegan, including a step-by-step transition plan, and this gentle advice: “At the thought of becoming vegetarian or vegan, many people worry about the one or two foods they ‘can’t live without.’ If you find yourself saying, ‘I want to stop animal suffering, but I don’t know if I can give up ice cream,’ then don’t. Give up other animal products, but permit yourself to eat ice cream while you are in transition.”

And Vegan Outreach, has a wealth of information on reasons to become vegan, including a downloadable pamphlet, at http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/. Vegan Outreach also offers excellent information on vegan nutrition at www.veganhealth.org. Jack Norris, the president of Vegan Outreach, is also a registered dietitian. So the information on the site is especially strong at dispelling some of the myths around vegan nutrition.

Finally, it is interesting to see where it all began. The first issue of “The Vegan News,” from November 1944, is reproduced at http://www.ukveggie.com/vegan_news/ and is lively reading. The movement’s founder, Donald Watson, had a dry sense of humor that comes through as clearly as his passion for the cause.

Watson died last year at the age of 95. The story behind the formation of the word vegan and more about his life can be read in his obituary on the Vegan Society’s site.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Vegetarian—or is it?

A co-worker of mine recently commented that a friend of his doesn’t drink beer because it’s not vegetarian. This came as a complete shock to me—what animal product could there possibly be in beer? So I immediately went to Google to look into the matter, and sure enough, I discovered that quite a few beers are made with a clarifying agent called isinglass, which is a gelatin derived from fish.

I hardly ever drink beer, and I do eat fish, so this doesn’t really affect my drinking choices. But it got me thinking about other instances of “hidden” nonvegetarian ingredients in seemingly vegetarian foods. I’ve gotten used to automatically looking at the ingredients list of a product before I put it in my shopping cart. I’ve had a few too many unpleasant surprises when I got something “vegetarian” home and realized that, hey, there’s chicken stock in this!

People often assume that marshmallows are vegetarian, but they’re not. They contain gelatin, as do many other things—most yogurts, some cereals and candies (like my once-beloved Altoids), even such seemingly odd food products as flavored rices.

Most cheeses are made using a rennet taken from the stomach of calves.

Stearic acid is a tricky ingredient—it can be derived from either animal or vegetable sources. I’ve noticed that some products explicitly state “vegetable stearic acid,” which is certainly handy.

Most Worcestershire sauces contain anchovies, and many Asian sauces contain fish sauce or oyster paste.

And, of course, there’s the vague “natural flavorings,” which can cover a multitude of nonvegetarian sins.

One way to be sure that something is vegetarian is to look for the Vegetarian Society’s seedling symbol, which indicates that they’ve fully checked it out.

For the record, you can find a list of vegan beers here.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Veggie Halloween

Let’s all sing together now (to the tune of “London Bridge Is Falling Down"):
“Seven more days till Halloween, Halloween, Halloween,
Seven more days till Halloween, Silver Shamrock!”

I feel like singing because Halloween is a great holiday for vegetarians. Unlike other holidays that are traditionally associated with meat (Thanksgiving turkey, Easter ham, and so forth), Halloween is associated with things like pumpkins, apples, guts and eyeballs, and candy. (Of course, Halloween guts and eyeballs are made of cold spaghetti and grapes.) And although gelatin and other scary animal ingredients can find their way into candy, many kinds are naturally vegan. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has a list to get you started, and you can find other options in local stores. Just check the ingredients before you buy to avoid a nasty Halloween trick!

But the best thing about Halloween are the ghosties and ghoulies - all the scary characters that make the holiday what it is. And happily, it turns out that many of them have hearts of gold. Vegetarians may especially appreciate the various Halloween characters - both real and fictional - who are advocates of vegetarianism and animal rights. They include:

Linda Blair, well-known for her role as a possessed child in The Exorcist. Now that she’s all grown up, she’s still a Halloween queen, but she has written a guide to Going Vegan and has started an animal-rescue foundation. I had the chance to meet her at an appearance at a Halloween amusement park several years ago, and she was genuinely enthusiastic and encouraging about veganism.

Linnea Quigley, perhaps best-know as the character Trash from the zombie thriller Return of the Living Dead, naturally doesn’t crave brains in real life. She has been a vegan for many years, and advocates for animal rights. You can read more about her in an article from the Vegetarian Journal here.

In the fictional realm, Shaggy, the unlikely ghost- and monster-hunter of the “Scooby Doo” cartoons, is a vegetarian. This is because the man who usually voices Shaggy, radio personality Casey Kasem, is in reality a dedicated vegetarian. But Shaggy’s path to vegetarianism hasn’t been without detours. According to the Straight Dope in 2000, Kasem quit voicing Shaggy because of a script that called for Shaggy to eat shrimp gumbo. But a later report traces the break to Kasem being asked to portray Shaggy in a Burger King commercial. It also says that he began voicing Shaggy again in 2002. For fun, you can find a recipe for vegetarian Scooby Snacks (and a veganized version) here.

Finally, consider that although it gets little notice, one of the all-time Halloween greats, Frankenstein’s “monster,” is a vegetarian. Carol Adams points this out in her influential book on feminism and animal rights, The Sexual Politics of Meat. Adams quotes the creatures own words that make his vegetarian diet clear: “My food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid, to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment.” Adams’ discussion of the meaning of the creature’s vegetarianism is fascinating, serious reading.

By the way, that little song about Halloween at the top of the blog is from the movie Halloween III: Season of the Witch. I don’t know of any vegetarian connection in the movie, but it’s a cool song.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Odds and ends

A few miscellaneous items:

*A story in the October issue of Cooking Light magazine reveals a handy way to tell whether produce is organic, conventional or genetically modified: look for a sticker with a PLU (Price Look-Up) code printed on it. If the PLU code is four digits, that means the produce was conventionally grown. If the code is five letters beginning with a “9,” that means the produce is organic. And if the code is five letters beginning with an “8,” the produce has been genetically modified.

*One of the ways I try to save money on organic products is by using coupons. Mambo Sprouts puts out a great coupon booklet several times a year, which I’ve picked up at Whole Foods, EarthFare in Greensboro and the Lowes Foods in Clemmons. Whole Foods even helpfully tapes these coupons to many of the items. And if Harris-Teeter happens to carry the product, I take advantage of their double-coupon promotion to save even more. Now if they’d just start issuing coupons for produce....

*Speaking of Harris-Teeter, they have Seeds of Change and Moosewood organic vegetarian frozen dinners on sale buy-one, get-one-free through the 24th. When I don’t have time to make something to take for lunch at work, I will often take one of these frozen dinners to microwave. I’d have stocked up a lot more if I had more freezer space! They also have Tofutti’s “ice cream” buy-one, get-one-free. I love the vanilla Tofutti’s Cuties “ice-cream” sandwiches.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Comfort Food

There’s a nasty cold going around, and it finally caught me. At times like these, I crave some good ol’ comfort food. Here are two – one old, one new.

When I was a child, one of my favorite meals was boxed macaroni-and-cheese – the kind flavored with an envelope of glowing orange powder. Now that I’m an aspiring vegan, I’m delighted to have discovered a worthy replacement: Mac & Chreese.

This product from Road’s End Organics (www.chreese.com) is a delicious vegan version of that childhood favorite. It doesn’t have that vivid, unnatural color - but you won’t miss it. Mac & Chreese does have the same creamy, comforting texture, and a savory, familiar flavor.

My grown-up version of comfort food is green curry with tofu. Downtown Thai restaurant (www.downtownthai.com) in Winston-Salem makes a wonderful green curry. It’s spicy to start with; and with extra hot pepper added, it really does seem to work wonders as a tonic. But nearly any curry from any Thai restaurant will do the trick. Something about the combination of spices is magic.

Well, I’m going to go fix some Mac & Chreese now. Do you have a favorite vegetarian comfort food that you turn to when you’re under the weather? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Meanwhile, take care and stay well!

Friday, October 13, 2006

The “green” giant?

When Wal-Mart announced this spring that it was going to start carrying more organic products, my initial reaction was that it would be nice to have another store in which to buy them. Maybe the products would be cheaper and more people would become interested in and able to buy organic.

In reading articles since the announcement, I’ve come to realize that (as usual) there’s a lot more to the story than I first thought. Organic farmers and small companies are nervous about the negative effects that Wal-Mart may have on the industry. As the country’s largest grocer, Wal-Mart wields tremendous buying power, and as such can make tough demands of suppliers that smaller companies can’t, driving down the prices it has to pay—and thus charge consumers.

I know that Wal-Mart isn’t embracing organics out of any altruistic purpose—its purpose is to make money, and organics is a burgeoning business. The company isn’t interested in the ethics of organics, just the profit potential. So what effect is that business model going to have on the organics industry? As big a behemoth as Wal-Mart is, it seems unavoidable that it’s going to have one of some sort.

There’s a particularly interesting take on this issue from the New York Times magazine here.

A watchdog group called The Cornucopia Institute recently released a report saying that Wal-Mart is diluting the value of organics by buying products of questionable quality from Third World countries and giant factory-farms—in effect creating a “new” definition of organic. You can read the white paper here.

With this in mind, I wandered around a local Wal-Mart a few weeks ago, looking for organic products. Had Wal-Mart become a great green machine since their spring announcement? On the whole, I didn’t find there to be much to write home about yet. There were some organic products, sure, but I hardly felt like there was a great choice. But once that changes and organics become more than a token on the shelves, what then?

What effect do you think that Wal-Mart will have on the organics industry?