More than words :: Food Movement

Morgan Spurlock at IFBC 2010 from Diana Johnson on Vimeo.

I suggest, before you read this blog, have a view of the video linked above (especially if you are a food blogger).

After reading my last post, I came to realize that I’ve managed to overcome exactly what I was struggling with.  Granted, that also included leaving this blog by the wayside – but in this instance, I think that is okay.

I didn’t attend the IFBC, but if I did, I’m pretty sure Morgan’s speech documented in those two and a half minutes linked above would have been the most poignant for me.  His challenge of ‘not preaching to the choir’, is EXACTLY why I had so many doubts about where this blog was going – sure, taking your time and cooking is a huge part of the food movement, and writing about it gives you a voice, at least online.  But how far does that voice really reach?  It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the majority of those reading my blog were like-minded foodies…Add the fact that I live in Seattle, and my talking up a storm about local, organic, farmer’s market produce suddenly doesn’t sound very effective – us Seattlites can be fined if we are caught not recycling for crapssake!  “So, what’s the point then?” – is what I kept asking myself…I promised 3-2 posts a week, and after nearly 5 months of silence I think I’m ready to share what I think the point needs to be.  It requires involvement, action, passion, and comradery…it’s about food, people, community – sound familiar IFBC attendees??

This blog, it’s no longer a 6 month project…it truly is a lifestyle.

I’ve mentioned before, that I feel like I have a responsibility being in the food industry.  Just as I think everyone should take an interest and care for what they have a passion in.  Food, like water, like forests, like our wildlife, if we abuse and take advantage of these resources we are asking for a world of trouble…some of which we have already seen (ie. obesity, bacteria outbreaks, disease).  And it really is just a matter of participating and being present in this world – understanding that the ‘butterfly effect’ is real, every motion, every individual makes a significant difference.  This may sound a bit contrived at this point – we’ve been told this since we were kids, or at least I have, having grown up on Jessie Spano’s political actions on “Saved By the Bell” and “We are the World” ballads.  But what can I say…it’s true.

So, here’s what I’ve been up to:

A majority of my food now comes from the local farmer’s markets (primarily, U-district and Ballard) – but you know why?  I don’t just shop there, I work there too.  I’m a fishmonger for Loki Fish on the weekends, and I’m having an absolute blast doing it!  Aside from the early mornings, I’m enjoying the company of some unbelievably passionate people, promoting and supporting a sustainable family owned business, and enjoying the bounties of fresh/local produce!  It has been a great change of pace in my work week, on my diet, and on my grocery bill (that’s right, I’m getting more food at the market for less than I would be spending at the grocery store – and it’s fresh, real, and direct from the those who produce it).

I’m also volunteering quite a bit with an organization called, Community Alliance for Global Justice.  They focus their efforts working locally for justice in the global economy (trade and food justice primarily; with most recent noted efforts against the collaboration of the Gates Foundation and Monsanto).

I photographed their involvement with a grass-roots project called, Spring Into Bed.  Spring Into Bed is the brain child of Stephanie Snyder, whom is a contributing partner of Cascadian Edible Landscapes.  On May 8th, a group of 250 volunteers built 1,800 square feet of edible gardens on 15 sites throughout Seattle (primarily low income households and communities).  It was a true labor of love for this group, from raising the funds, to working on one of those rare sunny Seattle days (I guess better that it wasn’t on one of those popular rainy days?!).

Michael Seliga, Founder of Cascadian Edible Landscapes – helping organize the many varieties of edible plants for the Spring Into Bed gardens.

Stephanie Snyder (center), founder of Spring Into Bed – helping put the garden bed together so that they can  start the fun part, planting!

I also helped coordinate CAGJ’s highest grossed silent auction to date, for their fundraiser/dinner, SLEE (Strengthening Local Economies Everywhere) (that kept me busy these last 4-5 months!).  If you didn’t go this year, definitely plan to attend next year!  It is a wonderful dinner event focused on honoring local farmers and food workers in Washington state.  All of the food was local/organic/fair trade, and chef, Travis English, did a fabulous job preparing a whole goat and presenting each table with their very own Loki salmon!  The key-note speaker this year was Ben Burkett, a Mississippi farmer and director of Mississippi Association of Cooperatives – who definitely captured the audience with his southern charm, and wealth of knowledge and experience with the issues small farmers are facing in this corporate/agribusiness climate.

Guests dining while CAGJ director, Heather Day, introduces key-note speaker – Ben Burkett.

Readers to Eaters, one of the sponsors of SLEE, brought some of their most popular selections of reading material for the diners to view and purchase. (Readers to Eaters is another really great organization sprouting up here in the Seattle area – focusing on “teaching food literacy from the ground up”)

I’m excited to get involved in the Alliance’s planning stages of what needs to be addressed with the 2012 Farm Bill, and other projects that come up along the way.

It has been a great way to learn more about issues that interest me, and really feel like I’m contributing to this movement – even in the smallest of way (like documenting it with my camera).

I recently photographed the American Cheese Society Convention, where the key-note speaker was Michael Pollan (I was giddy like a school girl, I won’t lie!).  If that name doesn’t give you goosebumps of intrigue and excitement – you should probably go google the man.  I may be reaching here, but Mr. Pollan IS the food movement – he has written book after information filled book about the food industry (the good, bad and ugly – mostly about those last two – because let’s face it, that IS the state of food right now – just watch the recent season premiere of The Biggest Loser and you’ll catch my drift).

Mr. Pollan extended a specific story to the ACS audience that stopped me dead in my tracks (I literally removed the camera from my face and took it all in), and I’ll do my best to convey it here:

He’s had talks with Obama and his “people” about food industry issues, and has told Obama about the food movement that is happening around the country.  Obama responded skeptically, is there really a movement about food like you say there is? – Is this really what the American population wants?

‘Show me the movement, and I’ll act/listen’ – *paraphrased Barack Obama

From what I hear, one of the key things that resonated with people at the IFBC was that you are influential – food bloggers have a HUGE voice – companies recognize this, they wouldn’t be pimping out their product to you if they didn’t.  There’s no question that we all have a passion for food, that we care about what goes into our food – or more importantly, what stays out.  So let’s take care of this industry that we love – step away from your computer screens, connect with your community, take your voice and raise it higher.  Let’s show Obama, the nation, the world this ever important food movement.

 

Lavender Brownies :: Finding purpose.

Sorry again for the delay – perhaps I’m the only one who even notices that I don’t post on time (*I know that’s not true) – and that’s okay.  But I’d still like to get better at it…I may have to cut back to two times a week, rather than the three…just to keep it manageable.

It wasn’t so much a timing thing this time around (however, this post was supposed to go out on Monday, until the internet ate it…) – but more me trying to gather my thoughts on the reason behind this project/blog.  Truth be told, it’s feeling a lot like a recipe blog, and that bothers me.

I want more depth.

I initially imagined that this blog could somehow have a national demographic – going to grocery stores, wading through the ‘crap’ to find what is good and healthful, but I’m realizing more and more that it is really aimed at Seattle (or perhaps Washington).  It’s all about being local or at least being responsible (fair trade) and I’d like to elaborate on that more.

It’s not like I’m creating the wheel here…

So does that mean anything will change?…not really I suppose.  I do want to get out and talk with more people in the community, set out to do the other piece of this project which is challenge chefs and other sustainably/local minded people to create a dish with the least amount of miles.  That piece of the puzzle I have only skimmed the surface on thus far.  Honing in on Seattle and the Washington area just gives me more focus, and encourages me to get to the farmer’s market more frequently (which I am enjoying immensely).

Let’s get back to it shall we?

I promised you something pretty (remember that?) – and I do my best not to disappoint.

I think I said a few posts ago that one of my favorite things to make is brownies…I wasn’t kidding.

It’s the chocolate really…and probably the butter.

And if you want to make me swoon – you’ll suggest adding lavender to the mix.

I grew up with brownies in a box.  I used to make them routinely nearly once a week, if not twice, I kid you not.  That and boxed macaroni and cheese.

You know what I have discovered since then? …brace yourself.

It is just as easy, if not easier, to make brownies from scratch (mac and cheese too) than breaking open a Betty Crocker box.

Not to mention your creation will taste WAY better…and you can dictate where the ingredients come from…so many bonus points!

I decided to host a fancy little dinner the other night, and thought it would be a perfect time to whip up some of these heavenly brownies.

One of the perks of living in Washington state (and there are many) is lavender.  I love lavender, I especially love it in my food.  Dry Soda’s Lavender flavor is a dream in a bottle in my humble opinion.

In Sequim, Wa, they host an annual Lavender Festival in July where you can buy pretty much anything with lavender in it. (can you believe I’ve never been?! – maybe this year…)

Culinary lavender is a beautiful thing.  I bought mine in bulk at Metropolitan Market – there they carry the brand, Purple Haze.  Purple Haze is “one of more than 36 growers” in the Dungeness Valley (Olympic Peninsula), and they are certified organic all around.  They harvest their 12 acres of lavender by hand, they have a “commitment to preserving the agricultural heritage of the Dungeness Valley”, and encourage people to come visit as a way to help build a connection with the Washington state’s agriculture.  I think it would be great to go visit while the lavender is in bloom, set up a picnic along the field and eat lavender ice cream…mmm.

Cacao is of course another main ingredient to this tasty treat.  I picked up some Dagoba fair trade/organic baking cacao.  The only bummer about this purchase is I couldn’t find where the cacao came from specifically …story of my life it seems… the best they state is Central and South America…okay(?).  They are certified ‘fair trade’ through Transfair, which seems to be a popular third-party food auditor for fair trade goods.  Ben and Jerry’s is also certified (or will be?…I don’t think they are fully certified until 2013) through them.  Dagoba’s main hub is in Ashland, Oregon – so a fellow Pacific Northwest company.

On their website they talk about their ‘Full Circle Sustainability’ program:  they strive to achieve high standards in equity, quality, community, and ecology.  Sponsoring re-forestation programs in Costa Rica, using green power for their manufacturing plant, and using recycled, soy-based inks for their packaging.

Another main ingredient: BUTTER…yikes, there is so much butter in this recipe, I cut it back…probably not enough for it to matter – but the first time I made these brownies they were oozing butter…it was a little unsettling.  I used Organic Valley’s cultured/unsalted butter.  There is A LOT of info on Organic Valley’s website, just wading through it all you can tell they want their consumers to be informed about organic farming, GMOs, sustainability, and their farmers.  However, that said, I have no idea where this butter is coming from…I’m going to guess Wisconsin given the info on the box.  (La Farge to be ‘exact’ – where it is distributed)…but that is kind of pushing it.

Two other ingredients are vanilla and espresso.

I bought Simply Organic vanilla…that was an investment (I’m just glad vanilla extract lasts as long as it does).  As I have said before, Simply Organic is really good about giving a nice little story to go with the organic/fair trade farmer that they work with – this was no exception.  Sripathi Ramai Hedge from India (where in India…I don’t know…) is their vanilla bean grower, and he practices biodynamic farming.  After having to look up what that means, I’ve come to learn that the biodynamic practice of farming started in 1924 by a man named, Dr. Rudolf Steiner (founder of anthroposophy).  It is a “method of organic farming with [the use of] homeopathic composts” – recycling and re-using the elements of the farm (plants, animals, soil, etc) on a constant basis.  It is considered to be the “first modern ecological farming system”, and is considered to be one of the most sustainable. (see Wikipedia and BDA).  Mr. Ramai Hedge says that he is teaching his sons this farming technique, and will not bequeath them the land until they ‘have the knowledge and commitment to continue using the practice’.

The espresso was one of my favorite purchases for this dish, it was like a match made in heaven.  A Caffé Vita blend with Theo Chocolate – not only are they two really wonderful local businesses here in Seattle, but chocolaty hints in coffee!? yes, and thank you.

Caffé Vita is farm direct – ‘they source their coffee directly from the farmers, visit the locations and make sure that the people they buy from adhere to the environmental and social standards that they believe in’.  Fair trade, organic, sustainable.  Theo chocolate, too, follows a similar practice – from “bean to bar.”

Two companies that make you very proud to be from Seattle.

This blend comes from Peru and East Timor.

Caffé Vita has some great resources on their website about where they get their coffee (videos and essays) – they are kinda fun to look through.

Lastly, I took the liberty (like I usually do) to add a bit more chocolate.  Because there is no such thing as too much.

I cut up a bar of Equal Exchange’s 71% cacao – and bless their hearts, they had all of their ingredients listed with the locations (as vague as they might be – I’ll take it!)  All fair trade, all organic – their cacao comes from farm co-ops in the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Peru, the sugar comes from a small farm co-op in Paraguay and Costa Rica, and the vanilla was grown in Madagascar.

Miles and Recipe*:

*note: this recipe is from a book called The Lavender Cookbook – so I will not be giving instructions on how to prepare the brownies – I will just list the ingredients for mileage purposes.

- dried culinary lavender from Purple Haze (Sequim, Wa) …. 68.6 miles

- sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners (Paraguay) …. 6284.9 miles

- all-purpose flour from Stone-Buhr c/o Read and Deanna Smith (St. John, Wa) …. 273 miles

- cacao powder from Dagoba (Central/South America) …. ~3320.8 miles

- salt from Noirmoutier (flown in by moi) …. 4986.4 miles

- espresso from Caffé Vita/Theo (Peru/East Timor) …. ~5457.1 miles

- butter from Organic Valley Farms (La Farge, WI) …. ~1865 miles

- eggs from Wilcox Farms (Roy, WA) …. 53.4 miles

- vanilla extract from Simply Organic (India) …. ~7239.8 miles

- chocolate bar from Equal Exchange

(Dominican Republic) ~3580.1 miles

(Panama) ~3668.0 miles

(Peru) ~5457.1 miles

(Paraguay) ~6284.9 miles

(Costa Rica) ~3320.8 miles

(Madagascar) ~10589.5 miles

Lots and lots of miles – if only cacao and vanilla grew in Washington state.  sigh.

 

Croque Madame

I dropped the ball.  My week got a bit hectic – right where it mattered – and Wednesday didn’t get a post.

Let’s not make that a habit.

I could have posted something on Thursday I suppose, but I thought it best to keep to the script.

I’ll make it up to you all with something extra pretty on Monday.

But today, today you get one of my favorite sandwiches – the Croque Madame.

I discovered these when I was going to photo school here in Seattle at a restaurant called, Crave.  For all you Top Chef addicts out there (I’m one too) you may be familiar with the lovely owner and chef, Robin Leventhal.  Her restaurant was where my friends and I would go to eat breakfast/lunch/brunch, it was ‘the’ spot.  And I couldn’t get enough of the croque madame there – the combination of salty meat with sharp cheese and a runny fried egg – yum!

I was excited to try the sandwich while I was in France (where it originated) to see the different variations, etc.  Everyone certainly had their own take on how to make it.  A lot of them were open-faced in Paris (at Crave it was more like a grilled ham and cheese with a fried egg).

I decided to construct mine the ‘Parisian’ way, but by no means is there an exact science – it is just a matter of preference.

I made it to the Ballard Farmer’s Market this past weekend, so knowing where things came from was a breeze!

It was so nice to talk to people who were really connected to the food you were buying.

The croque madame is a short list of ingredients, consisting of 4 things.

Bread, ham, cheese, and egg.

I bought both the bread and ham from the market.

The bread is from Tall Grass Bakery based in Ballard.  They make homemade artisan bread and granola.  The ingredient listing for the sour dough bread that I purchased was very concise and organic, and the loaf was absolutely stunning just to look at.

I approached Sea Breeze Farm about finding the appropriate style of ham or prosciutto.  They directed me to this piece of cured pig cheek (crazy yeah?).  What was once a happy, foraging pig, now has a happy cured cheek – perfect for my lunch.

I should talk a little about the Sea Breeze Farm – because they are a pretty cool place.  Located on Vashon Island, their farm works completely on solar power (!).  The animals are all grass-fed, and their foraging is what keeps the cycle of life rotating – imagine that!?

They have a restaurant, they have a full butcher service, they even have a winery.  I secretly want to live there…but I will settle for a visit.

The egg is from Wilcox farm in Roy, Washington.  Laid by a vegetarian-fed, organic, free range, raised and handled chicken.

And the cheese is the remaining Beecher’s flagship from my broccolette and cheddar rice.  Traditionally, you would use gruyere, but I wanted to be different and not wasteful.

Miles/Recipe:

1-2 slices of bread (whatever kind you prefer – I went with sourdough) from Tall Grass Bakery (Ballard, Wa) …. ~5 miles

happy amount of thinly sliced ham/prosciutto from Sea Breeze Farm (Vashon Island) …. 19.3 miles

happy amount of sharp cheddar from Beecher’s (Seattle/Duvall/Carnation) …. ~42 miles (where the cows are)

1 egg sunny side up from Wilcox Farm (Roy, Wa) …. 53.4 miles

Slice bread medium/thin, place sliced cheese and prosciutto on top, and put in oven.  Broil until cheese is melted.

Fry egg (sunny side up) and place on top of sandwich.

Enjoy!  (I paired it with some of my left over carrot-ginger soup – it was tasty.)

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Apple-Honey muffins

I made apple-honey muffins this weekend, which was quite the adventure after selecting a recipe that not only mis-wrote the amount of baking powder to use, but also left out the oven temperature…thanks ifood.tv….

One destroyed batch and some common sense later, I think I did pretty well.  (I’m not a baker, I just play one on the internets).

I used honeycrisp apples from Rainier Fruit Company (Washington state).  They grow apples in 20 of their 21 orchards throughout the state…and of course, I don’t know which region they grow the honeycrisps – that would just be too easy.

The recipe calls for an apple sauce, so I made my own.  Out of a honeycrisp apple, the lemon juice from the Sunkist lemon (used in the carrot-ginger soup), Wholesome Sweetener’s Brown Sugar, and water.

The honey is Lazy Bee (Seattle), the oil is Alter Eco (Palestine), rolled oats from Bob’s Red Mill (Milwaukie, Oregon), and cinnamon is Simply Organic (Sri Lanka).

I bought some Wilcox organic brown eggs at Metropolitan Market, they are a family owned ‘egg-product’ farm in Roy, Washington.  They’ve been in business since 1909 (just celebrated their 100 year anniversary), and have since partnered/expanded to Aurora, Oregon with Edelweiss Farms.

The oranges used in the recipe (yup, it called for orange juice) are from Homegrown Organic Farms, based in California (and Oregon).  They have 40 different growers producing fruit for their collective – there are nice little write-ups about a good handful of their growers.  However, I’m still not sure which one is responsible for the oranges I used in my batter (it looks like it could be 1 of 5).

And the all-purpose unbleached flour is from Stone-Buhr.  They have a great website called FindtheFarmer.com.  You can enter in your flour’s lot number, and they will pin point on the map where your flour came from.  My flour is from two places it seems – Eric Thorn from Dayton, Wa and Read & Deanna Smith from St John, Wa.  An interesting quote straight from the farmer’s mouth:

“The idea of providing the consuming public with value added food products, produced in a sustainable way by local family farms, has provided a much needed glimmer of hope for the future. Change is not easy, and most of the consuming public has no idea how or where the food they buy is produced.”

Here’s to some much needed change.

Miles and Recipe:

1 cup applesauce

- 1 honeycrisp apple from Rainer Fruit Company (Eastern Washington) …. 149 miles

- ~2 TB of brown sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners (Paraguay) …. 6284.9 miles

- juice from 1 lemon Sunkist (California/Arizona) …. ~1422 miles (calculating from SW Arizona)

- ~1 cup water (from the tap) …. it’s magic!

1/3 cup orange juice from Homegrown Organic Farms (California) …. ~766 miles (calculating from San Joaquin Valley)

1/4 cup honey from Lazy Bee (Seattle) …. ~ 5 miles

1/4 cup olive oil from Alter Eco (Palestine) …. 6748.4 miles

1 egg from Wilcox farms (Roy, Wa) …. 53.4 miles

1 cup all-purpose flour from Stone-Buhr c/o Read and Deanna Smith (St. John, Wa) …. 273 miles

3/4 cup rolled oats from Bob’s Red Mill (Milwaukie, Or) …. 180 miles (give or take a few 100 miles…)

l tbsp tsp baking powder……

1/2 tsp cinnamon from Simply Organic (Sri Lanka) …. 8389.7 miles

I also added about another half cup of shredded apple to the mixture.

Set oven to 400F

In a small bowl, mix together applesauce, orange juice, honey, oil and egg.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, rolled oats, baking powder and cinnamon.
Make a well in the center.
Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just to moisten.  *add shredded apple.
Do not over mix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. *decorate tops of muffins if desired.  I thinly sliced the apples and brushed them with a mixture of olive oil and brown sugar – it worked out pretty well.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

 

Carrot-Ginger Soup :: Thinking French

I’m pretty sure it was Julia Child’s book “My Life in France” that brought to my attention the psychology of how French cook.  It is complex in the simplest of ways.  It’s about knowing each ingredient, understanding their flavor, and having the ability to enhance it with other simple ingredients.

During my time in France, my friend Céline demonstrated this practice on numerous occasions.  At our small dinner parties she would give me a few simple vegetables to chop or peel, and she would create one of the most flavorful meals I’ve ever had. (sans spices)

Coming back to the states I couldn’t quite figure out why we, as Americans, had such a bad taste in our mouths when hearing the word “healthy” or even “vegetable”.  An unfortunate misunderstanding, that can be easily fixed with a pairing of just a few thoughtful ingredients.

One of my favorite things to make (aside from maybe cupcakes or brownies) is soup.

It is something that I discovered only a few years ago, even though my mother has been making homemade soups for most of my life.  There’s nothing better than taking a handful of ingredients, throwing them in a pot, and discovering what kind of flavor they can create.  It is especially fun when you purée them together!

I decided this week to try my hand at Carrot-Ginger soup.  It just takes 6/7 (if you include water) ingredients and you have this amazingly buttery sweet-savory meal.

I’m still doing a little bit of ‘cleaning out the fridge’, hence the use of ginger root and lemon…and you may remember our sweet little garlic friends from Gilroy, CA (Christopher Ranch).

The lemon is from Sunkist, one of 300,000 acres in California or Arizona.  Did you know that most of the fresh citrus fruit that you find in the market is from the western side of the US (citrus that is juiced is mostly grown on the eastern end)?  Something I learned on Sunkist’s site.  They also wash and wax their citrus a lot…(not impressed.)

The ginger root I purchased a few weeks ago (I can’t remember why now) and it was withering away in the crisper.  I spoke with the extremely helpful produce department at Metropolitan Market and found out that the ginger comes from Hawaii (grown conventionally) distributed by Charlie’s Produce here in Seattle.  After a little research, it sounds like the majority of ginger grown in Hawaii is on the eastern side of the big Island; just for perspective sake.

The lovely white onion is from the lovely Washington state – eastern Washington.  I was told the town, but I must have misheard or wrote it down wrong, because there is no such thing as a “Proust” Washington …maybe Prosser?  It’s wine country, is there room for onions to be grown there too?  After a brief google search, it seems they have been doing a lot of experimentation on onions in Prosser the last few years…hmmm.

I can’t wait for the farmer’s market this weekend….

And the carrots are from Earthbound Organic Farm in Carmel Valley-ish area (California).

That’s it!  A little olive oil, dash of salt,  and water and you have yourself an amazingly tasty meal – for days!

I adapted the recipe from two sources; All Recipes.com and Epicurious.com…however, I didn’t even touch a measuring cup or spoon while making this (that’s just how I cook).

Miles/Recipe:

~1 1/2 pounds of carrots from Earthbound Farm (Carmel Valley) …. 912 miles

1 onion from Eastern Washington (Prosser?) …. 191 miles

3-4 cloves of garlic from Christopher’s Ranch (Gilroy, CA) …. 867 miles

~1 TB of ginger root from Hawaii …. 2656.7 miles

lemon zest from Sunkist (California/Arizona) …. ~1422 miles (calculating from SW Arizona)

~2 TB of olive oil from Alter Eco (Palestine) …. 6748.4 miles

~4 cups of water (from the tap) …. it’s magic!

In a large pot heat olive oil at medium heat and sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent (I actually browned the edges to get a bit more roasted flavor).  Once you reach a desired onion/garlic color add water, carrots (chopped), and ginger (chopped/diced).  Let boil/simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are soft.  Use food processor or blender to purée.  Add salt and lemon zest to taste, and water to desired consistency (if needed).

Serves about 4-6.

Note: I added a little heavy cream from Twin Brook Creamery of Lynden, Washington …. 104 miles

and the thyme is from our patio garden …. 5 steps.

Second Note:  I’m truly hoping to get better at knowing (as much as I can) EXACTLY where my food is coming from.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not satisfied with knowing just the state or country origin…’you have to start somewhere’ though right?  …and ‘you do what you can’…but I just wanted you all to know that I think I can do better, and hope to here in the *near future.  I’m not sure that I’m being very ‘sustainable’ at the moment.

(I just wanted to say that)

Have a good weekend everyone, and enjoy your vegetables!

 

Simple Granola … with mystery ingredients.

Awwwww….breakfast.  Not normally something I eat on a daily basis – I must admit.  Full disclosure…I sometimes only eat one meal a day.  I know it’s awful, but when I get busy I often don’t realize until 4 in the afternoon that the reason I’m so irritable is because I haven’t sat down and had a meal.

And yet I love food oh-so-much…I’m an odd duck.

Well, given the challenge of having to slow down and think about food ALL-OF-THE-TIME, breakfast doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.

But my mornings are not always a time where I can slow down, so I thought I would make a batch of simple *yummy granola for the week.

I had never made granola before, and now I’m not sure why not – it was so easy, a little messy, and the results were *nearly perfect. (*I put a little too much salt in this batch…a little less next time)

I found my recipe off of Amateur Gourmet (who got it from “Baked: New Frontiers in Baking” by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito), and adapted it to what I had available in my fridge/pantry.

First and foremost – rolled oats.  Ugh.

I think there will be learning curve at some point in this project, because so far, I feel like I’ve been stumbling quite a bit – day 3, just have to remember, day 3.

I purchased Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats, an employee owned company, the mill is located in Milwaukie, Oregon.  However after further research, I’m not sure exactly where the rolled oats originated (they say for further information I should email them, which I did – it is at least nice to know that I can ask such questions of them).  I promise I’ll get better at this…

But oh wait, there is more…

Three other ingredients that I’m not entirely sure about…

Bulk sweetened cranberries and salted pumpkin seeds from Metropolitan Market.  It seemed a waste to not use them, as they were in my fridge and would be perfect in granola.  Even after going back to the market to ask them where they get their bulk foods, I only got as far as a name – Borracchini Foods.  Based in Seattle, they are a food distributor from what I can tell, but they have no website only a phone number (I hate the phone).  (but where does the sugar on the cranberries come from!? what about the salt on the pumpkin seeds! gah!)

*breathing.

Ah yes, I did mention there were three mystery ingredients, the third was really just me wanting to add a little extra kick – All Spice from McCormick…I probably shouldn’t have, but I did.  That one will likely remain a mystery.

On to the good news!

The brown sugar is from Wholesome Sweeteners, Fair Trade Organic from Paraguay.  Like Alter Eco, I feel pretty good about what they are doing as a company and am happy to support their brand.  Their sugars will likely become a staple in my pantry.

The cinnamon is from Simply Organic (partnered with Frontier Natural Products Co-op).  According to their website, they get a majority of their cinnamon from Mr. Wijethilaka of Sri Lanka.

The salt, oh the salt…the beautiful, beautiful salt.  The fleur de sel de Noirmoutier was a gift given to me before leaving France (thanks Melanie!).  This salt comes from the Isle of Noirmoutier off the coast of Brittany, it has low sodium and high calcium content which makes it milder and tastier than your average Atlantic variety…I may have loved the salt a bit too much as I mentioned earlier.  Live and learn.

Last but not least, the honey!

I found this honey at Madison Market.  There were a few local honey brands to choose from, but this one won me over because it had a little story about the bees scotch taped on the top of each container.  (I’m a sucker for a story)  The Lazy Bee, owned by Bruce Becker, has bees making honey for him in northeast Seattle.  They are hard-working bees, as they sometimes get transported to Enumclaw, the foothills of Mt Rainer, and other local orchards to pollinate.  Each batch of honey is slightly different because the bees visit all types of flowers along the way.  So sweet.  (PUN!)

Miles and Recipe:

2 cups of rolled oats from Bob’s Red Mill (Milwaukie, Or) …. 180 miles (not including where the grain ACTUALLY came from)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon from Simply Organic (Sri Lanka) …. 8389.7 miles

1/2 teaspoon of all spice from McCormick …. mystery.

1 teaspoon of salt from Noirmoutier (flown in by moi) …. 4986.4 miles

3 tablespoons of olive oil from Alter Eco (Palestine) …. 6748.4 miles

1/4 cup of honey from Lazy Bee (Seattle) …. let’s say 5 miles just for good measure…

1/4 cup of firmly packed light brown sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners (Paraguay) …. 6284.9 miles

1/3 cup of salted pumpkin seeds from Borracchini Foods (Seattle) …. mystery.

1/3 cup of dried cranberries from Borracchini Foods (Seattle) …. mystery.

“Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola.

Bake for *10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the cranberries over the granola…

Transfer to an airtight container – will keep for 1 week” …or in my case, a day and a half (salty or not, people in my house ate it up!)…I’m making more.

*timing may vary, I had to shorten my baking time because it was beginning to burn – just keep an eye on it and toast to your liking.

I’m learning for sure, hopefully I will get better and this will get easier over time!

It’s all about choices.

 

Broccolette Cheddar comfort food :: “You do what you can…”

The preparation and research for this project has been a mind blowing experience.  There are so many directions that this project could evolve into, and there are so many people who are interested and have an opinion on what it should be about.

Take for example, the topic of fossil fuels.  When counting the miles, should I also account for how the food is transported, and how the use of oil can effect the environment?  What is the best mode of transportation? etc…
It’s a good group of questions that certainly make a difference when it comes to impact, and it is definitely something that I considered in the beginning.  After having been to the grocery store a few times it is something I’ve had weighing on me while shopping too.  For example, I bought a bottle of olive oil by Alter Eco (a fair trade/organic brand, olives from Palestine) after comparing it to Napoleon (distributed in Seattle – olives from Italy…not organic) and Spectrum (it’s organic…but heck if I can find where it’s from *didn’t look on back of bottle, but on website)…The olives are all coming from a similar distance, perhaps the bottling/distribution of Napoleon in Seattle makes it slightly less of a trek, but my final selling point with Alter Eco was the fair trade/organic label paired with actual information on the bottle about the farmers, the company, and what they were all about.  Sure it traveled a long way, but the oil has a sense of purpose, and I liked that.
Sustainability is a huge topic; it has many avenues and things to consider.
Over the course of the 6 months, I’ll try to talk more about some of the avenues, because they really are all related and all relevant.  You’ll learn as I learn, deal?
I’ve already started to dive into my ‘required’ reading materials – first up – “The End of Food” by Paul Roberts.  Talk about a damning sense of urgency (!), I’m just a few pages shy of breaking the spine, but if you think a war over oil is horrific, imagine one over food (and god-forbid, hunger).  The 3 critical things that farmers rely on to keep up a massive production: cheap energy, unlimited water, and a stable climate…all of which are declining rapidly before our eyes.  Every action has a reaction…positive or negative.  Like oil/energy consumption, if we don’t change our habits, the earth will gladly make sure that we do – it’s only a matter of time, and by then we won’t have a choice in the matter.
I have found that there is little shortage of people to meet, learn from, and support here in Seattle too.  I have a handful of contacts already that I hope will bring some interesting information to the ‘plate’ (oh puns, how I love thee).  I’m teaming up with Community Alliance for Global Justice’s: Food Justice Project.  I met up with their organizing leader, Teresa Mares, last week and I’m excited to participate in their community projects of visiting farms, and photographing their SLEE dinner (Strengthening Local Economies Everywhere).  They actually just released a cookbook called, “Our Food, Our Right: Recipes for Food Justice” which I have a feeling will make an appearance on this blog very soon!  In the book there’s a lot of great information about the state of our food, what people are doing around the world to change, and resources on where to buy and who to buy from to support local small farmers.  A great resource for this project, and for everyday life.

So, how is this blog going to work?…As this idea has evolved, I’ve been refining it in my head.  As much as I’m sure you all want to hear about every single thing that I eat on a daily basis…(sarcasm)….I’ll spare you the dull details of eating an apple for breakfast, and stick with the highlights.  Three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will post the highlights (and lowlights) of my meals, including the miles, and hopefully as this project takes shape I will have some other fun articles and guest bloggers to contribute as well!

But it won’t be all words, I’m a photographer after all…food porn will be involved.

So, first up – I decided on some comfort food for my lunch.  My mother makes this hot-dish that I have loved since I was a child, and still crave as an adult…talk about all American/everything-that-is-wrong-with-the-food-industry…the ingredients include a jar of cheese whiz and onion rings…I’m not going there.  In an effort to refine it ever so slightly, I picked up a few ingredients at Madison Market and Metropolitan Market.  My new favorite brand at the moment being Alter Eco, I bought their white jasmine rice from Surin (eastern Thailand) and their mild extra virgin olive oil (which will be used in many things to come – LOVE olive oil) from (Jenin/West Bank) Palestine.  Earthbound Organic Farm got my business since I missed the Ballard Farmer’s Market yesterday, I came home with some organic broccolette from California (exact location still pending, but for sanity sake, I will say Carmel Valley which is where Earthbound Farms originated  – they now have 150 farms producing food for their brand.  Michael Pollan (big name in the Ethics of Food circle) referred to Earthbound Farm as “a company that arguably represents industrial organic farming at its best.” (according to wikipeadia and its sources) so that made me feel like I made a good choice (and opens the door to a lot of produce at the super market, since Earthbound is EVERYWHERE – take note).  In place of…cheese whiz…I thought Beecher’s Flagship might be a good choice – local, local, local…and yummy.  However, I wasn’t able to find any exact locations, their milk is from local dairy cows in Duvall and Carnation (Washington), exclusive to Beecher’s Cheese and under strict guidelines of no growth hormones (if a cow is sick and on antibiotics, she is put in isolation until she is healthy and the antibiotics have left her system).  Beecher’s doesn’t promise organic, but they do strive for pure/wholesome ingredients, and are backed by Slow Food USA.  I will have to do some more research, and ask some more questions – but I feel good about it.  To my surprise, after my pathetic attempt at buying garlic aka ran out of time, grabbed first one I saw, and didn’t look back (thinking that I just ran my project into the ground on the first day) I came to find that this is the one ingredient that I can find directly on Google Maps (!) from Christopher Ranch in Gilroy, CA.  I would have preferred to purchase my garlic locally (presuming I can – I suppose the last time I saw fresh garlic at a farmer’s market I was in Springfield, IL?) but it’s at least nice to have a pin on the map.  The basil however, is a mystery…it was bulk, and I presume it is local – but a slap on the hand for not knowing its origin.

Mile breakdown/Pseudo recipe:

1 cup of White Jasmine Rice from Surin (Thailand) ….. 7294.1 miles (eek!)

4 stalks of Broccolette from Carmel Valley (California) …. 912 miles

a ‘happy’ amount of Beecher’s Flagship Cheese (Seattle/Duval/Carnation) …. ~42 miles (where the cows are!)

2 cloves of garlic from Christopher’s Ranch (Gilroy, Ca) …. 867 miles

1 stalk of basil (bulk/mystery) …. bad Charity! (I will ask Metropolitan Market next time I am in)

and a ‘happy’ drizzle of Mild Olive Oil from Palestine (Jenin/West Bank) …. 6748.4 miles (uh, yeah…this is definitely not your 100 mile diet…)

Cook rice as directed on packaging, and prep broccolette, cheese, garlic, and basil (chop/cut/grate – however you’d prefer).

In an oven safe baking dish, layer rice with prepped ingredients on top and drizzle a small amount of olive oil throughout (not too much).  Place in oven set on broil, and watch until cheese is melted and broccolette has browned on the edges.  Enjoy while warm and gooey!

That is a lot of miles…

During my meeting with Teresa, she passed along a phrase that stuck with me, and is reassuring at best.  “You do what you can…” – even the purist of puritans still like to indulge in a krispy kreme (or is that just me?)
As much as I can worry myself about every single ingredient, and the validity of every single source – there will come moments (many of them I’m sure) where I will have sit back, breathe, and just say to myself “you do what you can…”
So, in an effort to take this project seriously, but not necessarily myself – it may be a good way to take a deep breath and jump on in.

 

The Sustainable Plate :: The Idea

It all started as a passing idea in a Parisian café with my friend Céline just a few months earlier.

“What if you worked with chefs in photographing a project based on miles to a plate?”

This, I’m sure came after a lengthy discussion on the French film “Home” (attn: link goes to full length movie – I recommend you watch) which was a lot like Planet Earth, except with a more damning sense of personal responsibility attached to it.  After watching “Home”, I became painfully aware that we can’t just sit back and admire the view anymore – we have to work to keep it.

…maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself here.

I guess I should preface by saying that I am a food photographer by trade.  Yes, that’s right, I’ve chosen that one piece of the photographic industry that you don’t often think of as a profession.  Usually I get blank stares after telling people about what I do, and more confused/astonished looks when I recognize photos of food on iPhone apps and advertisements, and can tell you who shot what.  It’s a small community…a niché unlike most others in the photo world.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest (primarily Seattle), I’ve always been surrounded by a wonderful arrangement of natural/fresh foods.  Seattleites are often coined as “hippies”, which I’m sure has a lot to do with our close range to nature every which way we turn.  There’s no mystery why we are named the “Emerald City”.  So, my interest in food and the environment has a lot to do with my up bringing and values instilled in me from a very young age here in Washington state.

I recently took a dream-come-true trip to Paris, France.  My mission: eat French food!  I didn’t care how bad it was for me, or how fat it would make me – I was going to eat it, and be happy I did.  What I came to find out; French food didn’t make me fat?!  Quite the opposite actually.  Sure, there was plenty of walking involved, but it still didn’t account for the food there making me feel more alive and more whole.  I felt nourished, and not glutinous.  It made me wonder what I was doing wrong in the states.

After my three-month stay in Paris, I returned to Seattle with a renewed vision.  Simple things really, I wanted to continue to learn French, I wanted to walk more, and I wanted to eat food that was real.

And then I watched “Food, Inc“.

It drove everything home for me.  Not only did it make me realize that I need to be more aware of what I put in my body, but I need to somehow make other people aware of how they shop and how it can make the difference in what is distributed to all of us.

That is when Céline’s idea of me documenting ‘miles on a plate’ became concrete.

How many miles does it take for each item to make it on my plate each night?  Where is it coming from, and what distribution did it have to go through to make it to my local grocery store or market?

As a food photographer, I feel it is my responsibility to bring issues like this to the surface, and document a way of life that may seem tangible to everyone.

I’m not going on a limited mile diet, but I am going to document what I’m eating and where it is coming from.  Chances are, since I will be more aware, I’ll be making better choices for myself.  Eating local, buying grass-fed meat, finding foods with the least amount of ingredients in them (nothing that states “high fructose corn syrup” or chemical what-have-yous).  It will force me to ask a lot of questions when going to the grocery store or a restaurant.  Because until we have the luxury of trusting our food is coming from a positive place, we should all be aware of where it is coming from.  We all have a responsibility here.

So, starting March 1st, I will begin a 6 month project on calculating the miles on my plate.  Some days will be less than others.  I’m not giving up my coffee (fair trade as it may be) and I’m certainly not going to take chocolate out of my diet anytime soon!  But I will be calculating the miles in which they came, and have a greater appreciation and understanding of who brought them to my table.