Giving thanks for the humble pumpkin

It's Thanksgiving Day, and of course I'm thankful for the usual things. To shake things up at bit, we all had to say one frivolous thing that we were thankful for. Today, after an amazing discovery, I've got to say pumpkin! The happy orange of a field of pumpkins always makes me smile, and what other food can be carved into a Halloween decoration? Best of all, you can eat it!

Today we took the kids to Cooper's CSA (CSA being Community Supported Agriculture where you buy shares in the farmers crop and get a weekly box of seasonal veggies, thus offering the farmer stability and the non-farmer seasonal, healthy food). It was a great day, and much less tacky and jam-packed than some of the "agri-tainment" closer to the city. Besides, it's Local Food Plus certified, and that gives me confidence in it's sustainability. Long story short, we ended up carting home a van-load of pumpkins because I discovered earlier in the weekend the amazing versatility of the pumpkin!

Why didn't anyone tell me before that it can taste so good? I know, pumpkin pie's okay...but that didn't seem very connected to an actual pumpkin. In my mind it was like the connection between dill pickles and dill pickle potato chips -a loose association at best. I now realize, thanks to a wine soaked Friday night tutorial from a pie-master friend, that you can make pumpkin pie from an actual pumpkin. Will wonders never cease? It got me thinking that if you can make pie from a real pumpkin, maybe you can make other things...which led me to this recipe for pumpkin bread. It is, to quote my mother-in-law, "to DIE for". It's similar to banana bread, only based on a local crop. You can substitute any type of squash, I tried a batch with butternut squash too- delish! Next step, pumpkin soup!

If interested, I played around with the recipe a bit, but this is more or less what I used:

1 1/2 cups flour (I used half white and half whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar (or just use 3/4 c of sugar and ignore the agave nectar)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed up cooked pumpkin (apparently the little "pie pumpkins" are tastier...just cut it in half, bake it for about an hour at 350, discard seeds and mash up pulp)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix wet ingredients, mix dry ingredients, mix it all together. Bake in a buttered loaf pan at 350 for 50-60 mins. Enjoy fresh or freeze for later!

The Elusive Organic Peach

All the markets and grocery stores are brimming with fresh, local peaches, so why not take a trip to an orchard and make a day of it? I got online to look for an organic peach orchard in the Toronto area. No such luck. I could find organic berry farms, organic spinach, broccoli and the like. But few tree fruits. My organics delivery box was even bringing me peaches from British Columbia. My grocery store's organic peaches came from the USA. Why?
I learned the answer at the East York Farmers' Market. For the first time, I saw a few baskets of relatively small organic peaches. Curiosity piqued, I asked the farmer. He said he's been experimenting with growing 5 acres of organic peaches because the demand is high. However, he explained that Southern Ontario's humidity makes the peaches very susceptible to disease. That's why almost nobody grows organic peaches. He said in the end, he's not sure if growing organic peaches is sustainable. Organic peaches are still sprayed, just with different stuff. And they require significantly more applications of the "different stuff" because of the climate. It was some food for thought. When asked which ones he'd choose to eat, he said he's perfectly happy with his conventional peaches. So, which to buy? I couldn't decide, so I bought some baskets of both and cut them up to freeze for those dreary winter days when summer fruit is a big treat. I'll let myself ponder the question of local conventional food vs. distant organic some other day.

How to freeze peaches: Peel, slice and lay out on a tray lined with parchment paper. Put them in the freeze until they are solid. Transfer to a freezer bag. If you just throw them in a bag without the tray step, you'll end up with one giant mass of peaches that you can't break apart!

Grainstorm

Every time I bake cookies, I make the same variety. I don't even have a recipe anymore, I can make them from memory- my Grandma's famous "Cowboy Cookies". This week however, I mixed it up a bit and tried a yummy new concoction, with some help from Grainstorm.

My new food adventure has introduced me to alot of people doing amazing things, and the people at Grainstorm are no exception. As usual, I came across my new source for baking mixes by coincidence. I met Lark from Grainstorm while I was buying a train table for my son from her through Craigslist. She happened to live less than five minutes from me, and happened to have a van labeled "Grainstorm - fresh milled organic grains" (or something to that effect). I couldn't not ask about it, and of course we got to talking about "real" food. Turns out her business is organic baking mixes (muffins, cookies, pancakes) made from Ontario grown heritage grains like red fife and kamut. In the small world of local, organic grains, it turns out that Grainstorm buys their grains from Grassroots Organics, the same farmers who supply our weekly eggs and organic flour through Mama Earth.

This week I made the oatmeal cookies according to the basic recipe (add butter, oil, 2 eggs) and they were a big hit with me and my son (daughter and husband don't really eat cookies...yeah, weirdos). I took some cookies into work and they were given the universal thumbs up. I guess I should also admit that I ate the last 3 for breakfast before my son woke up yesterday. I didn't want to share...

If you're a reluctant baker, but want to eat some guilt-free but tasty cookies or muffins (or pancakes!), check out Grainstorm online or in store at various locations in Toronto.

Taking Stock and Taking a Blog Break

When I my kids ate 3 raw beets and 4 purple carrots after school for their snack one day, I knew something major had changed in our family. Since then I've had writer's block. Maybe because this blog has served it's original purpose for me. It has made me follow through on things I might never have done otherwise - and now I'm hooked, I don't need the cyberspace motivation anymore. Our progress has been beyond my wildest expectations. Thank you to those who have read the blog, commented, emailed or debated with us for the last several months.

In the last 4 months, our changes have focused on food, chemicals, and consumerism. But the more I learn, the more I confirm that all of these components are interconnected. As I change my food patterns, I discover community. As I change my shopping habits, I contribute to a more fair, sustainable economy. It's been eye opening, and surprisingly easy. It turns out that an average, somewhat lazy, but socially conscious mother can actually drastically change her habits in just a matter of months.

If you're interested, here's my inventory of changes:

• purging all processed foods from our diets, with a few exceptions that allow us to function socially!
• switching from about 10% organics to about 90% when it comes to fruits, vegetables, wine, baking supplies, oils, nuts, cosmetics and pretty much everything else except clothing (one of these days...cotton uses an insane amount of pesticides). We aim to choose local products where possible.
• switching to organic meats, with particular attention to grass fed beef and dairy (avoids feedlot agriculture, and provides a more healthy balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids) and cooking meals with smaller meat portions.
  
• eating more vegetarian meals with beans and lentils to make up for our expensive meat
  
• phasing out new toys for birthday parties and baby gifts (unless they are very needed). We recently gave an "e-charity gift" from Plan Canada. Our choice was a "Birthing Kit" (to be used for a woman with no access to clean medical facilities) to honour the birth of a friend's child. For the new big sister, we chose the gift of a year's worth of school supplies for a girl who would otherwise have no access to school.
• vowing to avoid loot bags and dollar store toys that don't last. Vowing to have gift free (or recycled gift, or charity gift) parties for our own kids, at least until they're old enough to really fight it.
  
• making way more foods from whole grains, and from scratch (ie. bread once or twice a week, muffins and cookies occasionally). We love our Ontario grown and milled Grassroots Organics flours. When we're stuck, we buy Stonemill wholegrain breads - they even bake with 100% green power!
  
• phasing out refined sugar and replacing it with agave nectar when possible
• choosing Fair Trade certified products when possible. Ten Thousand Villages makes a good shopping adventure for this, and stores are carrying certified goods more frequently than they used to.
  
• working towards homegrown food, even on our deck (and shared garden at my parents' place) where we're hoping to grow our own huge tomato crop so we can make our own tomato sauce, diced and stewed tomatoes to get us through the winter. We're also growing herbs, peas, beans, carrots, cukes, melons, and squash, some of which we will can, pickle or freeze for winter.
  
• teaching our kids about healthy foods, and watching them start to get excited about heirloom tomatoes, atomic red carrots, stripey beets, and kale chips (and actually eat these things!)
• avoiding canned foods (because the linings leach phthalates -endocrine disruptors)
• getting rid of most of our plastic containers in favour of glass
• buying less packaging (including finding products in refillable containers like Harmony milk in glass bottles and "NatureClean" laundry soap)
• replacing all of our chemical filled soaps, shampoos, and detergents with more natural ones. We're particularly avoiding parabens and phthalates. While I'm still not crazy about my natural shampoo, I'm trying different brands until the right one works for me. We've also avoided all fragranced products to reduce our exposure to phthalates.
  
• chucking my aluminum based anti-perspirant in favour of a crystal...even though I still sometimes get panic attacks about my aroma.
• reading more non fiction books (for fun) than I have in my life about organic gardening, container gardening, whole foods cookbooks, food industry critiques, politics of food, and the eye opening Anti-Cancer book. I've learned some really compelling reasons to follow through with our changes so far.

The result? We're all working harder and spending more time in the kitchen and the garden...but it feels like an adventure instead of like a chore for a change. The kids are being great about this, more and more adventurous with new foods each day. I feel like I'm finally doing my best to keep my family healthy, safe and socially conscious instead of using my old excuse about not having enough time or money for these changes.

So what's next? More of the same. My next project is to build some homemade test models of the Earth Box to see if they can help me produce even more food. And to continue to find more options for foods like kale, chard, fresh herbs and other veggies. And to learn how to can and pickle stuff. And to switch to baking soda and vinegar for cleaning. And to compost in the backyard...the list is endless, but the focus remains the same. I think I will need my blogging time this spring to tend to the garden, bake bread and soak beans. I'll post updates as things come along, but for now, I think I need a break!

Thanks for reading!

Mama Earth Organics

We've been working on eating more organic foods. At first, we just switched the greens, apples, oranges, and bananas. Then we moved onto dairy, now we're on board with flour, rice, beans, nuts, and pretty much everything else. I've been ordering a lovely little organic fruit and veg basket that arrives on our doorstep every Tuesday, but have still done the bulk of my shopping at Loblaws.

I've been feeling good about buying organics now that the initial sticker shock has passed, but I wondered if it was possible to have more access to locally sourced products than I could find at the grocery store. When I finally spent some time browsing the selection at my online organic store Mama Earth Organics, I was excited to find it's possible to find local flours (rye, wheat, spelt), beans, and even popcorn. I realized there was a better selection of local stuff available through this service than at the grocery store. And the prices are on par - sometimes cheaper.

So, we're taking a leap away from the grocery store and are going to start ordering most of our stuff from Mama Earth. One reason is we like the produce we're already getting. Another is the convenience. There's also the lack of temptation to buy shiny packages of crap. But mostly it's because we trust them to source their products as locally as possible. I don't have time to drive to Grey Country every week, so I'm happy to let Mama Earth do the work for me.

Can't wait til Tuesday!

Highjacked Organics

Batter Blaster is an aerosol can of pancake/waffle batter. Seriously, it exists and it's organic. I thought it was a joke, but apparently it's not. It's been profiled on Regis and Kelly and is apparently carried by Loblaws, Sobey's and Metro (though I've never actually seen it in real life). My husband forwarded me the website (www.batterblaster.com) when he stumbled across a magazine ad and thought it was just too funny to pass up. Unfortunately, alot of people must not get the joke. Over 3 million cans were sold in 2008. It's marketed to "make breakfast a blast", and as a healthy, mess-free breakfast. While the ingredients are organic, there is nothing natural about a food you spray from a can.

This is where things break down a bit in the whole organics industry. I've been weighing the arguments for and against corporate organics (lower cost, more marketing power, greater efficiency VS. circumventing the "spirit" of organic agriculture, redefining the rules of what is considered organic, and continuing to promote processed foods). Batter Blaster makes me wonder what organic food will look like in 5 years. And it makes me wonder why we ever bothered with organic waffles.

Our family has recently switched to making our own organic pancakes (without aerosols) and then freezing them to be heated up for quick breakfasts later in the week. It works and doesn't take much time. In fact, I'm quite sure it's less than if we sprayed them into the pan.

Making Connections

The blog led me on a rural adventure today. Allow me for a moment to illustrate the power of cyber space, and the smallness of the world:

Helen is my mother in law. She recently reconnected with Judi, a friend from elementary school. Helen forwarded a link to this blog to Judi who happens to have a neighbour who raises organic livestock. Judi invited me and the kids to her place to sample some "clean" breakfast meats, and offered to introduce me to her farmer friend, Scott. Turns out, Scott is a retired teacher, who (wait for it...) used to be my middle school art teacher. Okay, let me make it clear here, we don't all live down the street from each other. I don't live in a small town, nor have I ever. These connections are hundreds of kilometres and several decades apart. Often I think the world is small, and then some days it shrinks even more.

This bizarre series of connections led us to the hills of the Oak Ridges moraine today where we were spoiled with a delicious brunch complete with organic sausage and maple leaf shaped pancakes, a walk in a sugarbush to watch the sap flowing, a (re)introduction to my teacher/farmer, and an exhilarating moment for my son when he got to sit in a tractor. Scott gave me a full explanation of the life cycles of the animals he raises. He showed us around, invited to come back and take a hike with the cows. And I started to understand what people in the "food movement" mean when they say it makes a difference to really know who and where your food comes from.

What a day. Thanks to J for her incredible hospitality, and to Scott for his openness and for the work he does to provide people with good food. And to Helen for reading the blog and setting things in motion.

A Sprout of Fancy

My next step is pretty exciting for me. I've always been head over heels with the idea of growing food, but the sad truth of the matter is that I have a very dark black thumb. All my houseplants are cacti, since they're the only ones I haven't succeeded in neglecting to death. So the concept of growing food that doesn't require soil, weeding, watering, etc, is very appealing. Starting today, I'm growing my own "crunchy lentil sprout mix". I bought a little organic sprout starter kit with the best of intentions about a year ago. I found it in the cupboard today and thought, I can do this! You just put them in water overnight and then drain them and rinse them every day. Should be ready to eat in 3-4 days. This meets my need for instant gratification in a way that actual gardening simply can't do.
I'll let you know what happens in 3-4 days.

FoodShare

Ugly looking vegetable this celeriac. Who would have thought that you could mash it up with onion, carrot, parsley, thyme and anything else you like to make a delicious, light side dish. I wouldn't have known this had I not tasted the most delicious concoction ever made last week at FoodShare's "Recipe for Change" fundraising event. 26 chefs preparing tasting plates beyond expectations and imagination. My winner for the night was the glazed beach mushrooms with celery mash and beet/yellow pepper sauce from Calico Cafe, hubby was partial to the cornish hen and tarragon ravioli from Quince.

Thanks to FoodShare for a wonderful, well organized event, and for the great work they do all year round. If you haven't heard of it, FoodShare is a Toronto-based non-profit whose vision is "Good, Healthy Food for all". They work to connect people back to their food supply, teach kids about growing, making and eating healthy food, and get good food to vulnerable people.

The message certainly resonated with me since just that day, my 4 year old daughter wondered aloud why she always has to take a healthy snack to kindergarten while the kid who sits beside her gets to bring Smarties every day. Gives me an idea for a long term goal to work towards - implementing a kindergarten healthy snack program at the school. This might take awhile, but be patient with me, I'm still working on the small steps!

Links:
Calico Cafe -fresh, veg/vegan, near Bloor and Dufferin http://www.calicocafe.ca
Quince - Mediterranean food near Yonge and Eg http://www.quincerestaurant.ca
FoodShare - http://www.foodshare.net

Mmmmmeat?

This month I'm teaching about the economics of food and the issues of industrial agriculture. I have to put that out there so you know that I'm not just a glutton for punishment. I wouldn't have chosen "Frankensteer" as my Thursday viewing if I didn't need to preview it for work.
I eat meat. I like eating meat.

I tried vegetarianism for 4 years during university. I didn't eat meat but I didn't eat chickpeas or kidney beans or leafy greens either. I mostly ate cheese pizza. Even then, I had a real problem with Swiss Chalet chicken, the problem being I couldn't resist it. But the real breaking point of my flirtation with vegetarianism came when I met my carnivorous husband. It wasn't much of a challenge for him to break my habit. He easily wore me down by cooking bbq ribs and steak. I haven't really looked back. Until recently.

My Thursday night documentary is one you'll want to avoid. You probably already know that from its title. That is, unless you've got alot of money burning a hole in your pocket or a strong but latent urge to eat more lentils. Frankensteer is about growth hormones, antibiotics, carnivorous cows, feedlots, and feces. Having viewed it already, it's too late for me. As soon as it was done, I got onto the internet and found the shop not too far from here that sells meat from nearby Mennonite and Amish farms and immediately placed an order. No antibiotics, no hormones. No massive feedlots as far as the eye can see. You can check it out at http://freshfromthefarm.ca.

As with most of my small steps, this one is not cheap. But I've got a plan. Continue to eat meat, but only the clean stuff. And use way less of it. Tonight we had our drug free chicken souvlaki. It was delicious. We treated it like gold and couldn't afford to overeat. This week, in the interest of preventing bankruptcy, I'm going to cook meatless at least twice.
Fingers crossed that I'll get more creative than cheese pizza. Take pity on me and post your faves.

Oh, and if after all that you still want to watch the doc, you can find it at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4129902081038592146#

Perfectly Packaged

Is organic milk better for us and the planet? Is it worth the extra money? Despite a couple of weeks of cursory research, the answer to these question remains foggy to me. The bias is so intense around this issue that it's next to impossible to find a conclusive reason to drink or not drink organic milk. Harmony Organics claims that it tastes sweeter and cleaner than conventional milk. They also claim their cows are treated "with love and respect", like "members of the family". Is that worth up to double the price?

I'm not totally convinced that organic milk itself is worth the extra cash. But when I found it in reusable glass bottles, I was sold. Given my quest to reduce plastics in my life, the shiny glass bottles sang to me about simplicity. When I was a kid, we used to visit our relatives in a small town in Northern Ireland. These bottles reminded me of the wonder I felt there when I discovered that a real live milkman actually picked up and delivered small bottles of milk at the end of the lane. It was like a time machine. Now I've found the next best thing. Harmony tells us that they reuse the bottles about 15-20 times. Sounds good to me. For now, that makes it worth the hefty $3.49/L. Lucky one of my kids hates milk!

TGIF

It’s Friday. A stay home Friday. You might expect that a stay home Friday would be relaxing, but you would be wrong. I have a cold, my kids have colds, and we had 4 little girls over for lunch. Lovely kids, everyone had fun. I even walked the whole crowd of six to school in an organized manner. No one got hurt…well, no one except for my own daughter who hugged a tree too vigorously and split her lip. That began our day of minor injuries. A finger pinched in a drawer, a trip on the edge of the carpet, a fall out of a wagon, an overblown papercut. In fact, just moments ago my son slipped and fell as he was climbing out of the tub. Each incident insignificant, but each causing a new burst of tears and a big sigh from me. The whole is more tiring than the sum of its parts. So I need a drink, or two. It's organic. That makes it okay, right? But then I hear the inner voice ask "But isn't France a long way away?". Oh, right, so buy local. But there isn't any local organic. Which outweighs the other?
Decisions. Enough to drive me to drink. Uh oh, here we go again.