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Chickens will soon be eating local wheat at Eatwell Farm in California

By Marc

When Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm near Dixon, California, discovered that much of his certified organic chicken feed was coming from China, he realized that he wouldn't feel right marketing his eggs as "local," so he started to look for a new supply of feed. It turns out that he didn't need to look far — just over to the next farm.

A neighboring wheat farmer was looking to transition to organic practices — with the goal of eventually gaining certification — and so the farmer and Walker started a collaboration to grow wheat for the Eatwell chickens.

Low cost labor and untaxed fuel cause migrations of frozen fish

By Marc

Some of the world's sea creatures make incredible migrations to feed or mate.  Tuna, for example, swim back and forth across the Atlantic or Pacific.  In the globalized economy, some fish go on long migrations even after they have been frozen.

The new book "Bottomfeeder," by Taras Grescoe provides a fascinating look at the state of the world's oceans (I reviewed the book over at The Ethicurean). The book is a compelling combination of nature, history, politics, and culinary arts.  If you want to understand more about why certain fish are rated "best," "good," or "avoid" on lists like the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list, "Bottomfeeder" is a must read.

Near the end of the book, Grescoe visits a fish processing facility in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.  Some of the fish that go through the plant have been on long migrations before arriving and some fish continue their migration after processing.

Visiting the cows and bees

by Julie Cummins

On September 16, I organized a farm tour, called the "Milk and Honey Tour," for CUESA. This description originally appeared in the CUESA weekly e-letter, and I am re-posting it here because getting a firsthand look at the animals that produce our food is the most satisfying part of an Eat Local life.

It has been said that milk and honey are the only substances in our diet whose sole function in nature is to serve as food. Whether or not this is true, they certainly symbolize abundance of biblical proportions; the phrase “land of milk and honey” comes from a reference to Caanan in the Bible. Last month, a group of 43 food lovers made a journey to our local lands of milk and honey—Spring Hill Jersey Cheese (Petaluma, CA) and Marshall’s Farm Natural Honey (American Canyon, CA).

Got Grass?

by Expat Chef

On my way home from work, I pass not just one, but two California “Happy Cows” billboards. Given that I live in the Midwest, and I can find a cow standing in pasture less than 20 minutes from my city in any direction, I’m not all too clear on why I should be seeing ads about the mental state of cows in California. I’m also not certain why someone spent $17 million in 2001 alone to tell me how happy the cows are. I mean, many of the cows here look happy to me.

Especially the ones that make my milk. They pretty much live on a pasture most of the time. They get milked only a couple times a day, no hormones or antibiotics. They eat grass, lie in the sun and basically do all the things happy cows should be doing. I even have a photo of the actual cows that make my milk posted here. So, see for yourself. Do they look happy to you?

Where's My Beef (Coming From)?

by Expat Chef

A pig walks into a spinach field in California. A two-year-old in Idaho dies. Somewhere a cow gives birth to an exact replica of its sire. We buy a new freezer.

How can these events be related? With a nod to Michael Pollan, let me trace the events back to the source.

On Sept. 20, 2006, Kyle Allgood of Boise, Idaho died from eating food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Over 200 people in 26 states were sickened and two others died. This type of food poisoning is normally only associated with consumption of contaminated meat. The contaminated food source was spinach.

The spinach was grown in the Salinas Valley of California, and harvested just weeks earlier. It took a long time to trace the source of contamination. However, according to Dr. Reilly of the California Health Department, the outbreak was most likely caused when a feral pig walked into the spinach field after visiting a cattle feedlot nearby. The pig had the bacteria in its system and had carried on it some of the cattle manure from the feedlot.

Green Eggs and Lamb

by Expat Chef


Above: Beautiful green and brown eggs are dwarfed by the huge goose eggs. both available through Pinwheel Farms in Lawrence.

Want some of the most beautifully colored eggs this Easter, but don’t have time to dye them? No problem, just stop by the Pinwheel Farm in Lawrence, Kansas where you can get a mixed dozen of colors from soft, warm brown to light sage, blue-green and olive. The best part? The chickens do all the work.

I loved the fresh brown eggs we used to get from our neighbor when I was a kid in rural Missouri. The beautiful brown shells and bright orange, firm yolks were almost worth reaching under the chicken for. Almost. The rest of the memory is of pecking beaks and chicken poop, I am likely scarred for life. Not enough to call the 24-hour Alektorophobia hotline, but we chicken-phobes can all rest better knowing operators are standing by to take our call. These days, I like my farm fresh, brown eggs washed and in a carton.

But, green eggs? These I had to see. I called Natalya Lowther to get directions to her farm. I could barely hear with my kiddo screaming in the background. Ms. Lowther was polite. Instead of saying, “My, woman, can you not control that child?!” She said, kindly, “Oh, do you have a little one? She will love the baby lambs.”

I loved the fresh brown eggs we used to get from our neighbor when I was a kid in rural Missouri. The beautiful brown shells and bright orange, firm yolks were almost worth reaching under the chicken for. Almost. The rest of the memory is of pecking beaks and chicken poop, I am likely scarred for life. Not enough to call the 24-hour Alektorophobia hotline, but we chicken-phobes can all rest better knowing operators are standing by to take our call. These days, I like my farm fresh, brown eggs washed and in a carton.

But, green eggs? These I had to see. I called Natalya Lowther to get directions to her farm. I could barely hear with my kiddo screaming in the background. Ms. Lowther was polite. Instead of saying, “My, woman, can you not control that child?!” She said, kindly, “Oh, do you have a little one? She will love the baby lambs.”

What you need to know about buying eggs

by Expat Chef

Eggs can be found in several colors besides white or brown. The shells can be pink, speckled, blue or even green. The color of the eggshell has nothing to do with the flavor or the nutritional value of the egg. Both of these depend on the diet of the chicken, how it is raised and the freshness of the egg. There is a lot of confusion, however, with all the terms regarding eggs. Caged, Cage-free, Free Range, Pastured, Vegetarian-Fed, High-Omega-3 … what does it all mean?

The information out there does not make the learning curve any easier. For example, the American Egg Board, sponsored by industrial chicken and egg farming, states that “The nutrient content of eggs is not affected by whether hens are raised free-range or in floor or cage operations.”

by Expat Chef

Eggs can be found in several colors besides white or brown. The shells can be pink, speckled, blue or even green. The color of the eggshell has nothing to do with the flavor or the nutritional value of the egg. Both of these depend on the diet of the chicken, how it is raised and the freshness of the egg. There is a lot of confusion, however, with all the terms regarding eggs. Caged, Cage-free, Free Range, Pastured, Vegetarian-Fed, High-Omega-3 … what does it all mean?

The information out there does not make the learning curve any easier. For example, the American Egg Board, sponsored by industrial chicken and egg farming, states that “The nutrient content of eggs is not affected by whether hens are raised free-range or in floor or cage operations.”

Drink Locally - West Coast Sake

By Marc

Saké -- an alcoholic drink that originated in Japan -- has had a rather bad reputation in North America for many decades.  In recent years, however, the drink has become much more popular because of a new appreciation of Japanese food and the availability of higher quality imported saké.  Consumers are starting to realize how delicious a carefully crafted saké can be, or how it can serve as the base of tasty cocktails.   

Although most of the world's saké is produced in Japan (home to almost 2,000 breweries), the western U.S. has breweries in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Forest Grove (Oregon).  The rice for the breweries is grown in the Sacramento Valley, an agricultural region to the north of Sacramento.  And thus, the phrase "local saké" is a relative one:  for most of North America, "local saké" means that it came across the continent instead of across the planet.  But since Japanese saké probably enters North America on the West Coast, Japanese saké will be transported roughly the same number of miles within the U.S. as a California or Oregon saké.  The avoided leg of the journey will be the dirtiest one:  a month in a huge container ship with an dirty, old engine that burns one of the most polluting fuels around ("bunker fuel," a thick substance with hundreds of times more sulfur than diesel fuel used in trucks), concentrating its pollution on a just a few (generally low income) communities around the port.

Eating Local: More important than ever

by Expat Chef

When a friend of mine who had moved to China got pregnant, I was determined to send her something for the new baby. I was certain that she would not have the same convenience of supermarket-sized Baby World type stores there. I just knew she desperately needed Baby Stuff.

Funny thing. As I toured just such a huge store, I kept choosing items from the shelves only to turn them over and see, "Made in China." I got desperate. After an hour of tearing through "Super Mega Baby Mart" I began to lose my grip on reality. Seems like anything "baby" in the U.S. originated in China. Just to be sure, I checked the soles of my own child's feet. I have the scar, I can PROVE she was made here, but you never know ...

soulfood

posted by Sara Zoë

the markets are mostly over for the season up here in New England. It's getting too cold and dark to grow produce--but this story from the Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine blog warmed my soul. An excerpt:

A recent Saturday was cold, windy, and rainy. We farmers were miserable as we huddled under our tents . Barbara, a lady who lives downtown and buys a few vegetables each week, came to the market and bought squash and carrots for a turkey soup . An hour later she was back - with four bowls of steaming, delicious turkey soup for the wet, cold farmers.