www.eatlocalchallenge.com

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?

What’s best for your body is worst for your wallet

By Julie Cummins

During the Eat Local Challenge last year, there was a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about how expensive it is to eat locally produced food. Some people called it elitist, even snobby. This was hard for me to swallow, because the Eat Local Challenge was heartfelt and meaningful for me. But the exaggerated words do contain a grain of truth: a local diet does cost more and is more difficult to come by than the standard American fare. What troubles me most about this grain of truth is how far astray our food system has gone.  How could eating locally grown food—something that was once a given—now be so out of reach that it’s called elitist?

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.”

Avoiding Pesticides

by mipmup

In an ideal world, each of us heads out to the farmers' market once a week (or if you're me last week, three times) to buy our fresh produce. We engage our farmers and ask not only about their goods, but about their processes. How do you grow? Are pesticides or herbicides used? If so, which ones?

Insanum Asylum

By Expat Chef

Based on my “Squashed” entry, I’ve admitted to having to work hard to like a few veggies. Like eggplant, Solanum melongena, once referred to as Solanum insanum. As a member of the nightshade family along with potatoes and tomatoes, eggplant was once thought to make you crazy if you ate it. And for a time, I felt like I was crazy to try it, too. Yes, it has some of the same texture issues as summer squash. It also lacks a lot of flavor. And often, what flavor it does have is bitter.

But for some reason, the beautiful color perhaps, every year as it comes into season, I attempt to cook it in a way that I will like it. Usually, the poor veggies go bad before I work up the courage to make an attempt.