tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-890429961467466372024-03-19T02:37:58.238-07:00FacingYourFoodLeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-26068523754170848432012-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:002012-04-21T09:36:18.055-07:00Food Fight and Small Changes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>896</o:Words>
<o:Characters>5108</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>42</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>10</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>6272</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The food fight in this country is starting to heat up and
really get interesting. One of the reasons I am so fascinated by our food
system is because it brings together so many things that I am passionate about:
food, animal welfare, politics, policy, government regulation, and economics.
All these seemingly disparate ingredients come together to create this
compelling, dramatic, sensational, gritty, and challenging thing called, food
production in America. Seriously, truth is stranger and more interesting than
fiction, and if food production were a tv show, it would be like watching
Desperate Housewives, the entire Food Network, Law & Order, Tele Novelas,
the Animal Planet, and Mad Men all rolled into one!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately, it is not a tv show. It is far more relevant
than mere entertainment and, unfortunately, it garners far less attention from
the general public. As you may well imagine, I do a lot of reading on the
subject of food production here in America and follow the relevant news and
legislation closely. There has been a lot of food related matters in the news
lately, even the mainstream news has gotten in on the action. Some of the news
has been encouraging, like the growing public demand in California to require
labeling when food products contain genetically altered organisms; and the
growing number of public schools that are incorporating fresh produce, on
campus gardens, and nutritional education into the school lunch programs. And
then there is the bad news: Michigan Department of Natural Resources conducting
armed raids on small scale pig farms which have recently been declared in
violation of Michigan law for breeding “feral” pigs (which seems to be defined
as any pig not part of a huge industrial hog farming operation); and Georgia
lawmakers neglecting to pass legislation that would protect the right of every
Georgia citizen to produce food for their own consumption. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes, I begin to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of
change that is needed and the amount of misinformation and apathy that needs to
be overcome in order for meaningful change to be achieved in our food system.
So, I am taking this moment to remind myself, and those of you reading this
blog, that change has to begin somewhere and has to begin sometime. I know
that’s hardly an earth-shattering revelation, but it does give us the freedom
to do SOMETHING, even if we can’t do EVERYTHING. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know about you, but knowing that any change, even a
small one, is still a step in the right direction is encouraging. So, with that
in mind, I am more determined than ever to make the small changes that I’m
capable of making now, with the goal of seeing greater change in the future.
Here are a few simple ways that you can make changes in your own daily life
that can ultimately lead to much greater change in the future for you, your
family, your community, and your country for generations to come.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Reduce or eliminate factory-farmed meat from
your diet. If the thought of giving up factory-farmed meat entirely is too
daunting of a task to even consider, consider these alternatives instead:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Give up meat for one or two days a week (for
tips and further information, check out www.meatlessmondays.com)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Find a local source for at least one category of
meat (beef, pork, or chicken). (<a href="http://www.eatwild.com/">www.eatwild.com</a>
is a great source for finding local providers of grass fed / free-range /
organic meat)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Find a local source for produce. It is true that
farmer’s markets will charge more than a grocery store for their products, but it
is also true that the quality will more than make up for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here are some tips for making the
best of your extra expenditures.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Choose to purchase produce from your local
organic farmer that makes the Dirty Dozen list (those fruits and vegetables
which contain the highest level of pesticides and toxins when produced in
“conventional” methods). If you don’t have a local farmer’s market, choose
organic options from your grocery store when possible.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>i.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Apples</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>ii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Celery</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>iii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Strawberries</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>iv.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Peaches</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>v.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Spinach</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>vi.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Necatarines</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>vii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Grapes</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>viii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Sweet Bell Peppers</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>ix.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Potatoes</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>x.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Blueberries</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>xi.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Lettuce</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>xii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Kale
/ Collard Greens</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Better yet, choose one or two items from the
list above and grow them yourself! Bell Peppers, Strawberries, and even Potatoes
can be grown in containers, if your space is limited. If you’ve never gardened
before, just pick one plant, do some research, and give it a try!</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Purchase items that are in season and in
abundance.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Most importantly, STAY INFORMED! Learn about the
companies and businesses that control your food supply, learn about the laws
and agencies that exist to regulate those businesses, find out if they are
working to protect your interests… and if NOT… why? And never forget that
consumers hold the power, not corporations! If you doubt the veracity of that
statement, just ask Cambell’s, which recently revamped production processes in
order to satisfy consumer demand to remove BPA from the canning process.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
Change is never easy. But life is
change. The status quo has never solved any problems or revolutionized anyone’s
life. And while ignorance may be bliss, blissful ignorance can lead to
oblivion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an important
time in our history. We are at a unique point when a light is being shined on
corporate greed and mishandling of public trust, not only in financial markets,
but in our food markets as well. We must act during this time, while there is
still some transparency and while these corporations are still reeling from the
initial shock of public outcry over practices that have long been safely hidden
and ignored behind closed doors. Big Agriculture is working overtime right now
to bring about legislation that will keep whistle-blowers out of their operations,
shut down small independent farmers, keep consumers in the dark, and maintain
the status quo. We need to be working just as hard to ensure that our food
system remains open to public scrutiny, is held to high standards of safety,
becomes more accountable and accommodating to consumers, and is properly
regulated by those who SHOULD be acting on behalf of the people (not the
corporations they are there to oversee). </div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-77277774719958360142012-03-21T22:21:00.000-07:002012-03-22T09:35:55.831-07:00Crossroads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>609</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3472</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>28</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>4263</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMjnltS78iJx73T4_IUpIjqbeTIOcZRoh0X0rREUijpAZHOeuc8g-8CfjditsUsTwjj8ez0sYl7xsl0K6UxQz2ARA_tsI128PuBYjURySucXiKqoOQcNH8QV63MKrrS7EUZu4My7MR6aR/s1600/cross-roads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMjnltS78iJx73T4_IUpIjqbeTIOcZRoh0X0rREUijpAZHOeuc8g-8CfjditsUsTwjj8ez0sYl7xsl0K6UxQz2ARA_tsI128PuBYjURySucXiKqoOQcNH8QV63MKrrS7EUZu4My7MR6aR/s320/cross-roads.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a very interesting and exciting time in our country
in regards to food production! There have been a number of small victories here
lately for those of us working to restore food integrity back into our national
system, bringing several issues to light for the general population to see.
Among those is the FDA giving permission to schools to NOT use hamburger
containing pink slime in school lunches. (If you would like to know more about
pink slime, just Google it, it’s as disgusting as it sounds and it’s found in
about 75% of all ground beef that is currently sold… Yum!) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Due to customer outrage over BPA, Campbell’s has now removed
the offensive chemical from its canning process! (If you want to learn more
about this issue, here is <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/03/05/under-pressure-from-parents-advocacy-groups-campbells-goes-bpa-free/">a
link to a Forbes article</a> that covers it.) Yes, I could go on about how
despicable it is that a company knowingly uses a chemical which has been proven
to cause all sorts of problems until consumers threaten to stop buying their
product and do a little damage to the bottom line, BUT, I won’t. I’ll just
celebrate this little victory and hope that the momentum continues to build,
grow, and blossom! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also in the news recently, the banishment of agri-giant, Monsanto,
from several countries, though sadly, NOT the USA. Hungary, France, and Peru
have all banned the use of Monsanto’s genetically engineered seeds, mainly
because the long term effects are still unknown, but also because the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">known </i>short term problems are bad
enough. (If you are unfamiliar with Monsanto, check out one of my earlier blogs…
or just Google it… there is a wealth of information out there and I really can’t
begin to explain how scary they are in the context of this current post.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There have been some notable losses, including Governor
Branstad of Iowa signing into law the nation’s first ag-gag bill. This bill was
passed to protect agricultural businesses from being damaged by those who might
gain employment dishonestly with the express purpose of sabotaging operations.
However, the bill uses broad strokes and ends up protecting these agricultural
businesses from whistleblowers and investigators who would seek to bring into
the light of public scrutiny certain practices and procedures that the big ag
biz would rather keep safely tucked away in the dark. This bill is nothing more
than blatant pandering to big ag and their big money, criminalizing those who
might “damage” their bottom line by exposing (gasp) the truth! I hope the law
is challenged (as I’m sure that it will be) and found to be unconstitutional
(as it most certainly is).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are currently at a crossroads or a pivot point of sorts. Yes,
there are many issues that are finally coming to light and much needed changes
that are being made in our food system (for the better). But there is still so
much more to do. This is the time to change. This is the time for reform. This
is the time to commit to restoring integrity to our food. It will take each of
us making changes in our attitudes and behaviors and it will take all of us
working together to bring about the necessary changes in modern agricultural
practices. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Call me crazy (you won’t be the first, nor will you be the
last), but I believe that we can actually leave a better world for future
generations. However, I also believe that we are running out of time to be able
to do that. There will come a point when we will have polluted, overmedicated,
destroyed, used, abused, chemicalized (so, maybe I made that word up, but you
know what I mean!) and leached this planet beyond the point of recovery. But
I’m optimistic enough to believe that we aren’t there yet! And the best part is
that each of us can make decisions every day that will help us turn that corner
and (because I love to mix my metaphors) tip that scale in our favor, in favor
of this planet over which we have been given stewardship, and in favor of the
animals that are destined to share our fate (or we, theirs). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I challenge you to be an informed
consumer, an informed voter, and an active participant in your own food system!</div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-203775641726323592012-03-01T06:37:00.000-08:002012-03-22T09:38:33.861-07:00Nation's First Ag-Gag Bill Needs To Be Stopped!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine with me, if you will, your favorite restaurant. A
place you enjoy eating on a regular basis. Now suppose that a reporter comes in
while you are dining there and asks the manager for a tour of the kitchen. Upon
hearing this request, the manager becomes irate, telling the reporter that she
has no business looking into his kitchen, there is nothing there for the
reporter to see, go away and don’t EVER come back!!! Then, let’s say that a few
weeks later, you are watching the local news and you see an undercover
investigative story about that same restaurant! Only this time, the reporter
sent in someone else, someone who entered under false pretenses, someone who
went into the restaurant with a hidden camera, someone disguised as the new
employee hired to wash dishes. While there under cover of employment, the
dishwasher discovers deplorable conditions in the kitchen: it is rat infested,
the food is past the expiration dates and not stored properly, roaches scurry
across countertops and dart behind open containers of food, and employee
hygiene is completely lacking. Now let’s say that following this news cast, your
city passes a new law that affects restaurants. That’s good right? This
undercover investigation brings to light a horrible health risk taking place
right under your very nose, it’s horrible, thank goodness there will now be
better laws to protect you as a consumer! Nope. Sorry. The new law doesn’t
protect you as a consumer. This new law protects the restaurant owner. This new
law prohibits anyone from entering his kitchen under false pretenses ever
again. This new law means that no other restaurant in town will ever need to
worry about being infiltrated and exposed. No other restaurant owner in town
ever needs to worry about suffering such an embarrassment and financial loss
over something so trivial as the health of its employees and patrons. How would
you feel about your formerly favorite restaurant? How would you feel about the
new law set up for the sole purpose of protecting such places? How would you
feel to know that your health means little when compared to the restaurant
owners and the influence they wield?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know about you, but I would not react well to such a
development. And I paint this little picture, because that is EXACTLY what is
going on right now. Well, not exactly, this law protects agricultural
businesses, not restaurants, but it affects a significant portion of the
nation’s food system. Iowa has passed the nation’s first Ag Gag Law. There are
a number of these floating about in different states at different stages of
passage, but this is the first to await signage into law. The bill currently
sits on the governor’s desk and I would ask each of you to consider contacting
him. I sent the following message this morning:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear Governor Branstad, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You currently have a bill on your desk, House File 589,
which I respectfully ask you to consider NOT signing. As the nation's first
Ag-Gag bill, you will be setting a strong and destructive precedent for future
bills throughout this country that would seek to provide unconstitutional
protection for agribusinesses at the expense of consumer safety and the humane
treatment of animals. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any industry that actively seeks to keep its operations
hidden from the view of the public is an industry that needs to be brought into
the light, not afforded special protections. Though I am not a citizen of your
great state, the large number of hog farms that would be protected by this
legislation directly affects me as a consumer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not comfortable with any aspect of our national food
system being afforded this level of protection and secrecy. Again, I
respectfully ask that you not sign this bill. It is, at the very least,
deserving of a public debate... anything less gives the strong appearance that
big agriculture can just buy legislation that works in its favor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sincerely,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
LeeAnna Tatum</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These Ag-Gag bills make it illegal to enter an agricultural
facility under false pretenses, some states even have bills in progress that
make it illegal to take unauthorized pictures of agricultural facilities, and
punish whistle-blowers. Now, I ask you… does this sound like a law that is in
the best interest of citizens and consumers, or lobbyists and big agriculture?
I can promise you that the farm, down the road where I get my pork doesn’t care
who sees their operation, they would welcome picture taking, and even offer
tours. Why? Because they have nothing to hide. There is nothing there that they
are ashamed for you to see. Why is big agriculture pushing these Ag-Gag bills?
Because they do not want you to see how they operate. They know that if the
public saw what conditions are really like, they would lose consumers. They
don’t want you to see what is going on in the kitchen…. doesn’t that make you want
to know why????? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Iowa may be only one state, but it has one of the highest
percentages of hog farms in the nation (can’t put my finger on the stats with
the exact number right at the moment), so chances are quite good that if you
purchase pork (any pork product) from the grocery store, you are a consumer of
Iowa agriculture. This issue is relevant to you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You are the consumer. You have EVERY right to know what is
going on behind closed doors at these facilities. You should know. You need to
know. It’s about facing your food and holding the producers of that food
accountable. These laws are attempting to prohibit you from doing just that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I encourage you to contact Governor Branstad of Iowa and let
him know that you do not want the agribusinesses of his state to receive extra
protection at the expense of, you, the consumer. Here is the link for contacting him should you choose to do
so:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://governor.iowa.gov/constituent-services/register-opinion">https://governor.iowa.gov/constituent-services/register-opinion</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is a link to the bill itself, should you want to read it. It really is frightening. This bill is sickening in its transparency... it doesn't even pretend to be something that protects or benefits the general public... every aspect of it is clearly to protect the corporation against any attempt to hold them accountable for actionable offenses. The entire purpose of this bill is to make any individual who brings things to light that could end up costing the company money be held liable as a CRIMINAL for the financial damages. No other industry is afforded that kind of protection. And NO industry should be afforded it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=HF589">http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=HF589</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-87563225285294566582012-02-22T15:05:00.000-08:002012-03-22T09:38:08.081-07:00Does God Care About What You Eat?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>446</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2544</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>21</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3124</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the Message translation of the Bible, the word, “food” is
mentioned 212 times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To give that
a little bit of context, the word, “love” is in there 586 times, “obey” comes
in at a 90 count, “faith” is mentioned 227 times, and “pray” makes an
appearance 499 times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I’m not
saying that they best way to find out if something is important to God is to
count how many times it is mentioned in the Bible, but there is something to be
said for the frequency in which the topic of food is covered. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are several places in the Bible where God gives
specific instruction about food. In the first chapter of Genesis, he gave man
“every sort of seed bearing plant on earth and every kind of fruit bearing
tree” for food. In Genesis 9, God told Noah (after the flood receded), “all
living creatures are yours for food. Just as I gave you the plants, now I give
you everything else”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Genesis
41, God gave Joseph specific wisdom regarding a coming famine and Joseph was
able to take advantage of seven years of bumper crops in preparation for the
seven years of famine that followed. God also gave specific instruction
regarding food to the Israelites, His chosen people. In historical retrospect,
we can see that many of those instructions protected them from common disease
and food-born illnesses of the times. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There are many other examples of God's direct involvement with mankind's food, but in the interest of my own short attention span... I'll move on! :)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Food is mentioned in the context of necessity, refreshment, companionship,
sacrifice, temptation, blessing, fellowship, offering, and lifestyle. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are told to feed the hungry, to
abstain from gluttony, to thank God for His daily provision of food, and to
trust Him for it. Clearly, God not only understands the role that food plays in
our lives, but as our Creator, He designed it that way. He provided us with a
wide array of foods varying in tastes, textures, aromas, and nutrition. He gave
us food, not only to provide for our nutritional needs, but also to bring us
together, and to bring us pleasure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have done a LOT of research about food, food production,
agriculture, and nutrition in the past few years and I am surprised by how
little attention is given to the topic by Christians. I’m not saying there are
not Christians out there who care deeply about the ethics of food (and have
written about it), but they seem to be in short supply, comparatively speaking.
It is far and away the secular groups that are leading the charge to improve
the food system that we currently have here in America. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our environment, the welfare of animals, the working
conditions for low wage agriculture workers, our health, ethical practices in
the food industry, our responsibilities as consumers… all of these things
should matter to all of us, most especially those of us who claim to be
Christians. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really are
fearfully and wonderfully made. Our Creator gave us many wonderful things on
this planet to eat, but we have strayed very far from the natural buffet that
He provided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just seems to me
that since He made us, He probably knows best how to fuel us. Science has done
a lot of wonderful things, but “improving” our food system is NOT one of them!</div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-91283307948564743392012-02-20T11:48:00.003-08:002012-03-22T09:39:21.168-07:00Livin' la Vida Local!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0B6Su-z-gGvZBvHoJuqmct70nA6IL73BSED4cvu8vEsO_KPmMYBxi5W2YsTuYm5ODmGcRjblyiiAruExffD-nacbTYLLxHQ3ORZGi-iXJA4dVcRfGvtJhPYOs9xfAHgbYyW5JEFAAlqS/s1600/local_asphalt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0B6Su-z-gGvZBvHoJuqmct70nA6IL73BSED4cvu8vEsO_KPmMYBxi5W2YsTuYm5ODmGcRjblyiiAruExffD-nacbTYLLxHQ3ORZGi-iXJA4dVcRfGvtJhPYOs9xfAHgbYyW5JEFAAlqS/s320/local_asphalt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If you love to shop local and are proud to support your local farmer, wear it proud! You can help increase awareness and promote buying local just by getting dressed in the morning! :) Ok, before I go any further, and in the interest of full disclosure.... I must tell you that I am promoting my own product from Carefree Clothing Company, a t-shirt business that my sister and I have just started. It is our desire to provide fun and interesting designs that can also help raise awareness for important issues. Our first design is currently available for Pre-sale. You can purchase it now and it should ship out the first week of March. It is the "Local Life" design pictured here. The shirt is available in Asphalt and Chocolate and it is made right here in the USA. <div>
Please check out our online storefront, </div>
<div>
<a href="http://carefreeclothing.storenvy.com/" target="_blank">Carefree Clothing at Storenvy.com</a>.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3ZDpWSQ3ryd06sizODDxDHC8-raoCij4l0IdospvIh9BeDus6o78mDnhFrvpon89jsvdxp_5D7WsvknNssRdz8XoklCcT7Y21Dmpz7DUnlABg-OOvvJzOBxQhvwNUzptsBshKR92LmAY/s1600/carefree_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3ZDpWSQ3ryd06sizODDxDHC8-raoCij4l0IdospvIh9BeDus6o78mDnhFrvpon89jsvdxp_5D7WsvknNssRdz8XoklCcT7Y21Dmpz7DUnlABg-OOvvJzOBxQhvwNUzptsBshKR92LmAY/s320/carefree_logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-47934458493402158422012-02-14T15:11:00.001-08:002012-03-22T09:40:50.290-07:00Gardening is a Victory!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>322</o:Words>
<o:Characters>1838</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>15</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>2257</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8dzOeqxXtbT5UNOVDCLsC-tT-nCZc7Ml4VM-TsYNGSxmCVUGDnVAnGMbd7EztI2h6xHE87bcR0jtLif1ujhUdv-dGMzRPlMuaYQ4t5GfEYODw2INrIhrub73A2DLSEiIEUZzpYI8eZlM/s1600/S5036629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8dzOeqxXtbT5UNOVDCLsC-tT-nCZc7Ml4VM-TsYNGSxmCVUGDnVAnGMbd7EztI2h6xHE87bcR0jtLif1ujhUdv-dGMzRPlMuaYQ4t5GfEYODw2INrIhrub73A2DLSEiIEUZzpYI8eZlM/s320/S5036629.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a beautiful head of cabbage, if I may say so myself!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I harvested my first ever cabbage yesterday! I have been
growing a few vegetables at a time for a few years now, but this was my first
cabbage. I have been relatively successful with growing tomatoes, peppers,
squash, cucumber, and various herbs; all in containers. This spring I will be
trying my hand at two new things in the garden… raised bed gardening, and
starting from seed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By making
these two changes, I SHOULD be able to produce a lot more and spend a lot less
in the process. But I must admit that I am a bit trepidatious about this foray
into the unknown.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During WWII, every American was encouraged to plant a
Victory Garden. The US Department of Agriculture estimates that around 20
million gardens were planted and that domestic production of fruit and vegetables
equaled that of commercial vegetable production during the same period. I
wonder what kind of difference we could make to improve the environment,
improve our health, and alleviate hunger if we each began to grow more of our
own food.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzzV7Z9vc48jNL3PMhTQYgWjHJqeO9lyWSfoTwXkOm8xRhALIevDLxTvpxk-GFstEFVMpdOGrBP0KRNAw6TisU39Y1xA-2pAnpyafIhWZTNRzGGEHa8vt5o5IS6T3WC90E6prNqWReIL3/s1600/S5036525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzzV7Z9vc48jNL3PMhTQYgWjHJqeO9lyWSfoTwXkOm8xRhALIevDLxTvpxk-GFstEFVMpdOGrBP0KRNAw6TisU39Y1xA-2pAnpyafIhWZTNRzGGEHa8vt5o5IS6T3WC90E6prNqWReIL3/s200/S5036525.JPG" width="200" /></a>No matter how much, or how a small an outdoor space you may
have… chances are you have enough space to grow some of your own food. It’s a
great way to know that the food you are eating is fresh and safe. No need to
worry about e-coli in your home-grown spinach! Aside from the nutritional gains
of growing your own food, it’s just plain fun! I love watching the plants grow
and the little tiny buds turn into growing squash, tomatoes, or peppers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37onimjU0zAfWJW6xiyjvKPFumb1tFZgsfJEDjwi2ZLMWD1oPSF4dI7WptVy_5fpq1qCd5HmgW5y97GaUrgV_TQB-uBUhWF_m0Eg3ESdAEQ1XX3MTo0AYYGeNLg8SdDI1E6uTANOBEhmc/s1600/S5036194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37onimjU0zAfWJW6xiyjvKPFumb1tFZgsfJEDjwi2ZLMWD1oPSF4dI7WptVy_5fpq1qCd5HmgW5y97GaUrgV_TQB-uBUhWF_m0Eg3ESdAEQ1XX3MTo0AYYGeNLg8SdDI1E6uTANOBEhmc/s200/S5036194.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s also really nice to have that personal connection with
your food. There is a wonderful sense of satisfaction and accomplishment making
fresh food from scratch and even more so when you also took part in growing it.
You may not have time to tend a large garden or the space for one, but try
planting a few herbs to grow in your windowsill or if you have a patio or
balcony… plant a tomato with some herbs in small containers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could plant a salsa garden (tomato,
jalapeno, cilantro) or an Italian garden of tomato, sweet bell pepper, and
basil. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'll continue to update from time to time on my gardening experiences. Believe me, if I can do this... anyone can!!!! If you’re an experienced gardener, please feel free to share
your experience with those of us just starting to figure it out! And if you’ve
never gardened before, give it a try… spring is just around the corner!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-27425408508240647912012-02-08T17:09:00.000-08:002012-03-22T09:39:21.164-07:00Dream the Impossible Dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>481</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2747</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>22</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3373</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since embarking on this little journey of mine and writing
about it in this little blog, I often find myself wondering if it is really
worth it. Indeed, my journey was delayed time and time again because I battled
with the notion of whether my actions really mattered or not. I’m only one
person. How does any of this make any real difference? I’m not going to put
factory farms out of business because I’m no longer buying their products. My
actions alone won’t improve the environment or treatment of livestock. Can one
person really make a difference?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite my doubts, my reservations, my questions, and my
insecurities I eventually decided that this was something that I HAD to do. It
really doesn’t matter if it changes the world. It doesn’t matter if no one else
gets it. It doesn’t matter if no one ever reads this, or changes their minds,
or is pushed to think about things in a different way. It would be great if
those things did happen, but the important thing is that to NOT do this would
be to deny a part of who I am. It would mean turning my back on things that I
truly believe in. It would mean giving up hope in a brighter future and a
better world. It would mean that a part of the person that I was created to be
would never even have the opportunity to blossom, much less grow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we are children, we are encouraged to dream BIG! Who
ever laughs at a kid who wants be an astronaut when he/she grows up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Mean people, that’s who!) We think
it’s great when a kid wants to be a scientist and an artist and a cowboy all
rolled into one. But then we grow up. And we’re told to be realistic. Maybe not
in so many words, maybe not by anyone in particular. But society tells us to
grow up, and that is often just another way of saying that you should put your
dreams in a box. Or at least, scale them back. Size them down. Make them fit
expectations. Or make them profitable!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe I don’t want to grow up. Because I don’t want to put
my dreams in a box anymore. I don’t want to shrink my expectations down to
size. I want to believe that I can do anything. I want to believe that change
is possible. I want to believe that I can leave this world a better place
because I was a part of it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that each of us has a role to fill. Each of us has
been given a gift or gifts by our Creator and it is in His purpose that we find
fulfillment. He is the one who gives us our dreams, our passions, our talents,
our skills. When we deny those dreams and limit ourselves to what is expected
of us… we deny Him the opportunity to use us to do good and positive and, yes,
even BIG things. He not only gave us the capacity to dream big, but He will
also give us the strength and wisdom and opportunity to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> BIG.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have no control over anyone else. (Shocking, I know!) I
can’t make people read my blog, or care about animals, or change their
behaviors, or improve their business practices. I do this for me. I know. That
sounds selfish. But it’s not. Not only can I not control anyone else, I can’t
BE anyone else. I can only be me. So, the best thing that I can do for myself,
and for those I love, and for the causes I believe in, and for my Creator is to
be the unique me that I was created to be. And part of being ME is to make this
stand for things that I believe are important. The rest is out of my hands.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-73071410749633516372012-02-07T11:04:00.000-08:002012-02-07T11:17:47.919-08:00The Politics of ...... Eating!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m coming to realize more and more how interrelated food
and politics really are. Just think about life during the Cold War and the
stark difference between free societies and those locked behind the Iron
Curtain when it comes to food. People waited in line for hours in the former
Soviet Union just to receive bread and other basics for survival, while those
of us (ok, most of us) in the free world had ready access to a wide array of
food choices. Even today there are definitive correlations between food availability
and forms of government. Just look at the Koreas. In North Korea, now
(thankfully) deceased tyrant Kim Jong Il allowed tens of thousands of his own
people to starve to death during his lifetime due to poor food policy choices
and the denial of international food aid. Just across the border in South
Korea, however, food is plentiful and in abundant supply (though there are
still those who suffer from malnutrition as in every nation of the world).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Here in the US, we often debate the roll and scope of
government when it comes to food (and everything else). It is one of the great
political divides in this country; do we need government to step in and
regulate and monitor and oversee business, healthcare, education, and food (to
name a few)? Or do things flourish best with a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Laissez faire</i> (in other words, the government keeps it’s hands out
of it) approach?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Admittedly, I tend toward the belief that free markets work
best. Communism is a proven failure, but that doesn’t make Capitalism perfect…
certainly not in its present state. And I find myself conflicted when it comes
to regulations and my food. On the one hand, I would very much like to have a
food system that is regulated for safety, health standards, truth in labeling,
treatment of livestock standards, work and safety conditions for employees, and
environmental standards. But on the other hand, I don’t want Uncle Sam (which
in 2010, he decided he could do so) telling me that I can’t grow my own
vegetables or purchase raw milk from a local farmer if he doesn’t deem those
options as safe for my personal consumption.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I also have issues with the federal government taking a more
hands-on approach to regulating the food system when it is already sadly inept
at enforcing the laws and standards which currently exist. And if the
government is going to interfere with free markets, why does it choose to do so
in a way that benefits massive agribusiness corporations at the expense of
small family farms? Shouldn’t it be interfering to level the playing field for
the little guy? Not siding up with Goliath by stealing David’s slingshot? [I’m
referring here, in part, to subsidized corn (corn paid for with YOUR tax
dollars) which benefits large factory farms (enabling them to keep their
product costs down); small farmers do not receive these subsidies which means
that their product prices must actually reflect the true cost of production.]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The FDA currently does very little to ensure truth in
labeling and currently refuses to require any labeling for genetically modified
foods. In addition, it does nothing to stop or even curb the use of
antimicrobials in agriculture, something the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
has been urging them to do. Though there are laws in place to ensure that
ground water and streams are not polluted by the massive amount of waste
generated at CFOs (Confined Feeding Operations), they are largely ignored by
the industry and often go unchecked by federal officials. There are labor laws
in place to protect the health and wellbeing of farm workers, yet thousands are
exposed to near deadly levels of ammonia in the air they are forced to breathe
while caring for animals in CFOs on a daily basis. This exposure causes long-term
damage and has even been known to be fatal, yet these issues persist. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
And what really gets my goat is that the Right Wing wants to
go into hysterics because the Obama Administration is requiring higher
nutritional standards for our school children’s lunches! Really? That’s your
line in the sand? Let it slide by that what can be grown in our yards can be
deemed unsafe for our own consumption, but how dare you try to improve the
nutrition of the only meal of the day that some of our nation’s children will
have access to? (Sorry, that is my
rant of the day!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
So, I’m a little conflicted at the moment as to what roll
the government should have in our food system and how much control the federal
government should be allowed to exert. I know that I want the freedom to make
good choices where my own nutrition is concerned. I know that I want the
freedom to grow my own food and purchase it from friends, neighbors, and local
farmers. I know that I want to know if the foods I’m eating were designed by
God or engineered in a lab. I know that I want to leave this world in better
shape than it is in right now. I know that I want animals to be treated with
respect and dignity even if their final resting place is on a plate! I know
that I want those who work hard to ensure that I have food to eat receive a
decent enough wage that they can provide proper nutrition for their own families.
I know that our current system is broken. And I know that I don’t trust anyone
in Washington DC to care more about these issues than I do. So, that’s what I
know. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I would very much like to know your opinions on this issue.
How involved is too involved where the federal government is concerned? Is more
regulation the answer? Is deregulation the answer? How can we as citizens and
consumers do a better job of holding our leaders accountable? How do we move
toward a more sustainable, healthier, environmentally better food system?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Here is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eabefjsJsAQ" target="_blank">link</a> to The Politics of Dancing for your listening and viewing pleasure! You're welcome!)</div>
</div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-18997499658692628152012-01-16T13:55:00.000-08:002012-01-16T13:55:14.107-08:00A Few Fun Facts About Factory Farming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>715</o:Words>
<o:Characters>4077</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>33</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>8</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>5006</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ok, you got me! There really is nothing fun about these
facts, but I’m a sucker for sarcasm … and alliterative sarcasm is even better
yet! I decided to put together this list of things that you may not know about
the process that provides meat to the vast majority of carnivores in this
country. I will TRY to keep my own editorializing to a minimum as these facts
pretty much speak for themselves. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Þ<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Factory farms are actually called CAFOs
Concentrated (sometimes Confined is used instead) Animal Feeding Operations. No
need for editorializing, the name says it all.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Þ<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Confinement truly means confinement. Movement is
restricted and normal animal behavior is not possible. Physical alteration is
also the norm, including de-beaking of poultry and docking (tail removal) of
cows and pigs.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Þ<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>While the number of hog farms drops dramatically
each year, hog production remains stable. 80% of hog farms have a head count of
5,000 or more. The percentage of hogs produced through contractual operations
increased from 5% in 1994 to 67% in 2004 (this is significant because it means
that huge profits are shifting from small, local farms to giant agribusiness
corporations that control the contracts).</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Þ<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>On average in CAFOs three full sized (roughly
250lb) hogs share a space approximately the same size as a twin bed. (It should
be noted here that pigs are highly intelligent, social creatures. In their
natural habitat, they are clean, curious, playful, and form strong social
bonds. In the ranking of animal IQ, pigs rank 4<sup>th</sup> behind
chimpanzees, dolphins, and elephants. It is because of this level of
intelligence and social complexity that their treatment is exceptionally cruel
in this environment. We would never allow dogs to be treated this way, but
because we enjoy pork – and don’t eat dogs- we look the other way and continue
to allow this inhumane treatment of pigs on a MASSIVE scale.)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Þ<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Male chicks are particularly useless in the
poultry business. Unfortunately, almost half of all chicks hatched are male. Because
they offer no source of revenue, most are destroyed (in other words, killed
rather unpleasantly). Bull calves in the dairy industry usually do not fair
well either.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Þ<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Anywhere from 50% - 80% of all antibiotics made
and sold in the US are used in food production. (Real numbers are hard to come by as there is little to no regulation of antibiotic use in agriculture. No prescriptions are necessary.) A nifty little side-effect of
antibiotics used in treating animals was discovered in the 1940s – treated
animals grew bigger, faster. So, now animals are continuously fed low doses of
antibiotics in all of their feed in order to artificially expedite growth (and
increase profits). The problem with this use is that it is completely
unregulated and it diminishes the effectiveness of antibiotics in their
intended use – to treat illness in humans. Microbes are resilient and when
exposed to the low-dose levels of antibiotics in animal feed, they become
resistant, requiring stronger and stronger antibiotics to fight disease and
illness. The CDC recommends the discontinuation of antibiotic use in feed, but
the FDA refuses to enforce that recommendation. In fact, the FDA is set to
approve the use of the most potent antibiotics currently available (our last
lines of defense against microbes) for use in animal feed.</li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Side note: I would like to encourage you to NOT take my word as fact
when reading this blog. Not that I am lying or trying to mislead you in any
way, but this is an issue that is worth being concerned about. Whether you care
about animal welfare, the environment, the conditions of low-wage workers,
public health concerns, personal health and nutrition, rural communities, world
hunger, or any of a multitude of other issues; factory farming is relevant to
you and your daily life. The more that I learn about food production in this
country, the more shocked I am that I lived in ignorance of the facts for so long.
If it is this important, why doesn’t the news media, or our government, or
someone tell us about what is going on? I’m not entirely sure, but I do know
one thing – it’s not a coincidence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Generally speaking, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I don’t
see conspiracies, government or otherwise, everywhere I look. But the deeper
that I dig into this subject, the more secrecy, deception, and greed I find.
It’s disturbing. Like the Ag Gag laws (as they are referred to). Their only
purpose is to make it illegal to spy on the agribusinesses. Literally. These
laws attempt to outlaw taking photos on a farm, shooting video, or in anyway
reporting what takes place at these facilities. And the frightening thing is,
these laws get passed! You should be concerned that the people who produce your
food are ashamed for you to ever see the process. You should be concerned that
the people who produce your food want to outlaw whistle-blowing by their
employees. You should be concerned that the people who produce your food do not
want the CDC to be able to send in undercover investigators. What, exactly, are
they trying so desperately to hide?</div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-59836538501086872752012-01-11T10:35:00.000-08:002012-01-11T10:49:11.570-08:00The Evil Empire of Agriculture (well, one of them anyway)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monsanto. Haven’t heard of it? You’re not alone. Most
Americans probably haven’t. What may surprise you is that you most likely consume
their products everyday. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monsanto touts itself as being all about promoting farmers.
This is true in the same sense that a crack dealer is all about promoting crack
addicts. You see, Monsanto produces a genetically engineered seed that they
sell to farmers.<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>34</o:Words>
<o:Characters>195</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>239</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">You may think that the resulting plant produces a seed that the farmer
can then plant again in the future. You would be wrong. You see, genetically
engineered crops (let’s just call them GE to spare my typing fingers) cannot be used for seed (in other words, they are not sustainable). </span>The farmer must return to Monsanto every time they wish to plant a crop, creating a dependency between farm and company. And the farmer must pay a patent fee (every year) for the privilege of using these GE seeds. Yes, a patent fee for seeds (and here I thought God owned the patent on those!).<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monsanto has also developed quite a reputation for suing
non-GE-seed-using farmers who are unlucky enough to have fields located
adjacent or in the somewhat general location of a farmer who does use GE seeds.
Why would they sue these hapless farmers? Because sometimes in nature
(something Monsanto obviously has little exposure to while locked away in their
evil scientist labs), pollen is carried by the wind, or birds, or insects, or
other things in NATURE; and when this GE pollen is carried to a non-GE plant,
sometimes there is a thing called cross-pollination that occurs. And when this
happens, those plants infringe on Monsanto’s patent! Patent infringement by
plants during the course of natural occurrences…. those farmers should have to
pay!!! How dare they!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what I find most disturbing about Monsanto and their GE
products, is that we really have no idea of the long-term effect of these products
on the environment and our bodies, because they haven’t been around long enough
for us to know for sure. And perhaps, to be on the safe side, you would like to
avoid these products. Good luck! The FDA does not require any type of labeling
for genetically modified foods, and though you may not purchase or consume the
corn, soybeans, or canola that is produced from Monsanto’s lab; you are most
certainly eating the meat, that comes from the chicken, cow, or pig, that did
eat those products (that is, if you eat meat from the vast majority of grocery
stores or restaurants).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Please take a few minutes to watch the informative video
below. If you are a skeptic, there is no need to take my word or Greenpeace’s
word at face value. There is plenty of information out there about the harmful
effects of genetic engineering, as well as, the detriments of a monocrop
culture. The wisdom of centuries, tells us that crop rotation and animal and
plant variety are essential for maintaining healthy soil. Modern scientists
have decided that chemistry can replace this antiquated practice, but if there
is one lesson we really should have learned by now it’s that when you mess with
nature, nature has a funny way of messing back!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1H9WZGKQeYg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-84140595773450239222012-01-08T13:16:00.000-08:002012-01-08T13:16:51.349-08:00Beans and Rice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Growing up, I came to dislike the dreaded meal of beans and rice. My parents were missionaries, which isn't the most financially lucrative of pursuits, so mealtime budgets sometimes needed to be stretched quite thin. While I am still not overly fond of pinto beans, I have made my peace with beans and rice, and have developed my own take on it that I truly enjoy. Here is my version of the dish which is a quick and easy (and inexpensive) meal to make, and works great for those Meatless Mondays or any other meatless day of the week.<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DDPCjQLbJempUMdt_WBqFN_ojxQZzjj1Ocs4LkQK3aWLCB5ij7sxNeTZximL8YZuphHicJs03NWW86SwfmuEFZHNIKM00oqiVRU5YXViikrP6bEbeKPG0nF-4IG_hedD-YmDG6XbSEA8/s1600/S5036514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DDPCjQLbJempUMdt_WBqFN_ojxQZzjj1Ocs4LkQK3aWLCB5ij7sxNeTZximL8YZuphHicJs03NWW86SwfmuEFZHNIKM00oqiVRU5YXViikrP6bEbeKPG0nF-4IG_hedD-YmDG6XbSEA8/s320/S5036514.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
As you may know by now, I don't do "recipes", but here is the basic composition of this dish. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Beans: 1 can, or approximately 2 cups reconstituted dried </div>
<div>
Rice: around 1/2 cup</div>
<div>
Tomatoes: between 1/2 lb and 1 lb fresh tomatoes, or 1 28 oz can</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I use black beans, white rice, and fresh tomatoes (when seasonally available). You can use any type of bean that you prefer (even pinto), and you can use reconstituted dried beans or canned beans. Likewise, you can choose the rice of your preference (just keep in mind that if you use brown rice it will need to cook about twice as long). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
From this base, you can add as many or as few other ingredients as you choose. I usually use these ingredients in addition.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Garlic: 1 minced clove and / or Onion: 1/2 diced</div>
<div>
Jalapeno: 2 freshly diced (or pickled slices when fresh are not on hand)</div>
<div>
Cilantro: 1 handful of fresh cilantro loosely chopped</div>
<div>
And, because this recipe includes tomatoes and I listened to my mom, just a pinch of sugar</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have also added bell pepper and/or carrots diced (I am choosing to not use any additional vegetables in the dish I am preparing today, because I plan to repurpose my leftovers into a burrito dish later in the week and I have discovered that carrots are not appealing to me in a burrito).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Heat a very small amount of oil (approx 1 tsp) in pan</div>
<div>
Saute onion, jalepeno, and any other vegetables (other than tomato) that you would like to include</div>
<div>
When vegetables are tender, add garlic and half of the chopped cilantro</div>
<div>
Add beans (with liquid)</div>
<div>
Add tomatoes (with liquid)</div>
<div>
Bring to a boil over high heat</div>
<div>
Add rice and stir thoroughly </div>
<div>
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 min or until rice is cooked</div>
<div>
Add remaining cilantro, stir, and serve</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Preparation time is minimal (about 10 minutes), and this dish requires very little supervision once it is covered and on low, so it is very quick and easy to cook even when things are hectic around the house.</div>
<div>
Buen Provecho!</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-69524018317578347432012-01-04T15:57:00.000-08:002012-01-04T15:58:33.637-08:00Sustainable Farming in Action<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I loved this video and how well it helps to explain the difference between factory farming and sustainable farming, so I thought I would share it here. I also really wanted to share some of the quotes and values from the Harris family that owns and runs White Oak Pastures.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Their website is www.whiteoakpastures.com)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>When we take dominion over our herd, and our flocks, and our companion animals, we accept all of the responsibilities of their stewardship</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>-Harris Family Core Value</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/PpaI0QS_YC0/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PpaI0QS_YC0&fs=1&source=uds" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
<embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PpaI0QS_YC0&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><i><b>As a fourth generation stockman, I offer folks some "Southern Cowboy Common Sense" on how to recognize good animal welfare: If you would like to open up a lawn chair and drink a couple of glasses of wine while you watch the animal, then you have good animal welfare. No normal person enjoys watching a hen in a battery cage or a sow in a farrowing crate, or a steer wading in its own excrement.</b></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><i><b>-Will Harris III</b></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333300; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>We want to raise our animals and steward our land in a particular manner. We cannot farm this way if enlightened consumers do not choose to buy our beef, lamb, and poultry. We value our partnership with the people who choose to honor us in this way.</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333300; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>- Jenni Harris</i></b></span></span></div>
<br /></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-34960418935581755302012-01-02T12:27:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:55:59.400-08:00In Defense of Bambi Burger!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>469</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2675</o:Characters>
<o:Company>nada</o:Company>
<o:Lines>22</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3285</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.256</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-01Jg5LaDg9k/TwIRGeN8BdI/AAAAAAAAAEY/goaJ1jFsLwY/s1600/S5036503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-01Jg5LaDg9k/TwIRGeN8BdI/AAAAAAAAAEY/goaJ1jFsLwY/s320/S5036503.JPG" width="320" /></a>I currently have a neatly wrapped little package of ground
venison thawing in my kitchen. The fact that I eat deer meat often surprises
people who know me. As anyone who knows me, knows that I love animals and am
outspoken about the need to care for them responsibly. Because I am an animal
lover, people assume that I would naturally be opposed to hunting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me explain why that assumption is quite wrong. First of
all, I think it is important to acknowledge that any form of meat production
involves the killing of an animal. An obvious thing to point out, I realize,
but important nonetheless. When you consider the entire lives of the animals
involved (from birth to slaughter), wild game is perhaps the most humane choice
out there. A deer that is shot by a hunter at least had the opportunity to be born
free and live out its days in a natural environment engaging in its own natural
behaviors. This in contrast to factory-farmed cattle which spend (at the very
least) their final months in confinement in a feedlot, their final hours filled
with stress. Factory-farmed pigs and poultry are even less fortunate than
cattle as they spend their entire lives in confinement and a high stress
environment, never able to fully engage in their natural animal behaviors. It’s a very simple decision for me as to which method is more
humane.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many animal rights advocates argue strongly against hunting,
but I do not agree. I do, however, believe that hunting should be done
responsibly and as part of an overall population management plan. As I have
stated before, I do not have a problem with animals being killed for meat; but
I do believe that we have a moral obligation to see that it is done in the most
responsible way possible. There are those who would argue that eating meat at
all is unethical, but again, I would disagree. Not killing animals for meat would
have a host of unintended consequences. As there are few natural predators left here in North America,
deer populations would explode exponentially; there would be no need to raise
cattle in a domesticated environment (if we were not killing them for meat) and they are ill suited to survive in the
wild; additionally, there is not enough undeveloped land to support all of that herbivorous
wildlife that would be running around all over the place (just a few of the minor inconveniences that would develop if we ceased to eat meat).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hunting is relatively humane, it’s sustainable,
environmentally friendly, relatively inexpensive, and a healthy source of
protein. I am fortunate enough to know plenty of people who hunt and share
their bounty with those of us who do not. It got me to thinking about those of you
who may not be so fortunate. So, I did a little research and found a company
out of Texas that can ship game meat directly to you! Isn't that convenient? They have developed a
method of field harvesting that enables
them to sell meat that was not farmed or domesticated in any way; it is
free-range, wild game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It is shot, skinned, and processed (in a mobile unit) all under the watchful eye of a government inspector. </span>Their
website has all kinds of fascinating information. Check it out at, <a href="http://www.brokenarrowranch.com/About.htm">http://www.brokenarrowranch.com/About.htm</a>
.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Venison is a great source of protein, the Vitamin Bs (B12,
B2, B3, B6), Iron, and Selenium (which, when incorporated in protein helps fight
cancer and heart disease). It is low in fat and nutrient dense. <a href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=139">http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=139</a>. </div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-18139254370833437062012-01-01T11:54:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:55:59.397-08:00It's Resolution Time, Have You Made Yours?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0HXIbhZk_sk7GAJ7PzzwxMkg_7Hw3bPHMHmF1fblMPlLMXcHnBDb99epiRJP29wHDGcjS5fzTKsy8H1L0T3Srm1xJvnJtAIt0Lu0273y4A4v1Czc1gOojiz-W-Z7Vo9RoIbiqBSQkOR1/s1600/S5034445.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0HXIbhZk_sk7GAJ7PzzwxMkg_7Hw3bPHMHmF1fblMPlLMXcHnBDb99epiRJP29wHDGcjS5fzTKsy8H1L0T3Srm1xJvnJtAIt0Lu0273y4A4v1Czc1gOojiz-W-Z7Vo9RoIbiqBSQkOR1/s400/S5034445.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692757751627573554" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">Happy New Year! I hope you are as excited about 2012 as I am! Not only am I glad to see 2011 in the rearview mirror, but I can’t wait to see all the good things that are coming our way in 2012. I hope this new year brings you great peace, prosperity, happiness, and success!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The new year is typically a time when we are particularly aware of renewal, rejuvenation, renovation, and of course, RESOLUTION! As you consider your resolutions for this new year, I ask you to throw two more into the mix.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The first resolution that I ask to you consider embracing this year is to remove meat from your diet one day per week. Whether you choose to do Meatless Monday or choose any other day of the week (like Vegetarian Wednesday or Spill-No-Blood Sunday – sorry, that one was a bit graphic!), just be sure to set aside a specific day each week. To make it easier to keep this resolution, you should choose the day carefully… make it a day that is easy to prepare ahead for and is generally pretty routine. Eating satisfying meatless meals is a simple enough thing to do, but it will take some planning and preparation. For more reasons about why you should consider going meatless just one day per week and helpful suggestions on how to do it… check out <a href="http://www.meatlessmonday.com/">www.meatlessmonday.com</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The second resolution that I propose, is to make a conscious effort to buy food locally as much as possible. And the local grocery store doesn’t necessarily count. <span style="font-family:Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;">J</span></span> Try to find food that is grown and produced in your area. Meat that comes from a local farm is healthier for you, good for your local economy, and great for the environment. It’s a win-win-win situation. How often do those come around? A great place to start your search for locally produced food is at the farmer’s market. However, not all communities have one and not all markets are available year-round. An excellent online source for finding locally produced food in your area is <a href="http://www.eatwild.com/">www.eatwild.com</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You don’t have to go all out, start small. Find a dairy or meat product that is the most convenient for you to buy locally and start with that one thing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m not going to lie to you, it isn’t easy to fully commit to a life without factory farmed products. I’m learning that as I write this. Literally. That is, of course, the point of this blog… to share with you my experiences as I try to do just that. And I’m not there yet, but I’m taking steps in that direction. And, further more, I believe that it is possible, not only for me to do it but for us to make the changes necessary to do it (dare I say) as a nation. I hope you will join me on my continued journey this year and I ask you to consider taking steps (as small and as few, or as large and as many as you care to) away from factory-farmed goods and toward sustainable, humane, and wholesomely produced foods.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">HAPPY NEW YEAR! </p><p class="MsoNormal">(The photo above was taken from horseback, the cows we ride past are always so curious and want to see the horses up close. It is my hope that more cows in 2012, get to live out their lives in pastures as God intended instead of ending up in feedlots prior to slaughter.)</p> <!--EndFragment-->LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-90928801161920809732011-12-20T11:58:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:56:09.714-08:00E. Coli: One of the Costs of "Cheap" Meat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ia3tk16lyBZemMsy1-OYpk1dEGfWEOWhhIVbll6sm9b34sm8UyMzqg_MpwQfDpt5IKAR6VpXl2LJ5cC-vQlmRxYICACPjqfi7oDfHfRytcNA0x6Y0Xg-CbodUv44m1kpU5P1k-UizaqY/s1600/feedlot.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ia3tk16lyBZemMsy1-OYpk1dEGfWEOWhhIVbll6sm9b34sm8UyMzqg_MpwQfDpt5IKAR6VpXl2LJ5cC-vQlmRxYICACPjqfi7oDfHfRytcNA0x6Y0Xg-CbodUv44m1kpU5P1k-UizaqY/s400/feedlot.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688303967775667298" /></a><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>839</o:Words> <o:characters>4785</o:Characters> <o:company>nada</o:Company> <o:lines>39</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>5876</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.256</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">There was recall of ground beef this week for 40,000 pounds that were found to be contaminated with E. Coli. Fortunately, this recall was made before anyone ate the contaminated meat and suffered the consequences, which can be as severe as death. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The US Department of Agriculture estimates that E. Coli has an annual price tag of around $488, 771, 183 in medical costs, productivity losses, and disutility. These are the human costs of E. Coli here in America.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">How many cows were butchered and then ultimately recalled and discarded due to this contamination? According to my research, a butchered cow produces anywhere from 300 to 500 pounds of useable meat, not all of which will be ground. But to keep things simple, for the purposes of this demonstration, let’s say that all of that meat is ground for distribution. That means that anywhere from 80 to 130 cows were destroyed due to this contamination and recall. Their lives needlessly wasted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here is another part of the waste: 720,000 gallons (a conservative number, as some estimates have it closer to 1 Billion gallons) is the amount of water needed to raise one steer (from birth to butcher within the factory farm system), multiply that by the number of cows that were destroyed and you have 57,600,000 – 93,600.000 wasted gallons of clean water. I’m not even going to go into the amount of wasted corn (did you know that 80% of all corn grown in the US is used for feedlots and only 20% for human consumption?), waste water produced and other harmful effects on the environment that are inexcusable at any time and much, much more so when the final outcome is not even suitable for human consumption.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Waste compounded by waste, and all of it unnecessary. Why unnecessary? Think back to science class as a kid when you learned all about cows. I don’t remember what grade that was, but I know I was pretty young when I learned that cows have 4 stomachs, they eat GRASS, and chew their cud (regurgitated GRASS) and pass it along progressively to each of it’s four stomachs for proper digestion. It was probably during that same year of science class that we learned that corn is a grain, not a grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hmmmm…. I guess what I’m getting at here is that if a 4<sup>th</sup> grader knows that cows eat grass and corn ISN’T grass, why is it that we feed millions of cows corn?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">You didn’t actually expect me to have an answer for that, did you? Here’s the best I can come up with. After WWII, we had a surplus of corn and a shortage of cheap, readily available food for a lot of people who wanted to eat meat. So, the government began subsidizing corn (yes, giving away your tax-payer dollars to corn farms – not small time farms, but massive farms), feedlots were developed on which cattle were fed corn, cattle fattened faster than on grass, “cheap” meat was created, a taste for “cheap” corn-fed beef was cultivated among consumers. And consequences be damned.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s the problem, since cows weren’t created to eat corn, their digestive systems are not created to digest corn. In other words, those 4 stomachs and the process of chewing cud – designed to digest grass – doesn’t work to digest corn. This causes a very painful condition in cows called acute acidosis. The condition is so painful, that cows will kick at their own bellies to try to stop the pain, if left untreated (by antibiotics, of course), it will lead to a quick death (and is the most common form of death among cows in feedlots). This condition, even if treated, causes lesions in the liver which would be fatal if the cows were allowed to live long enough. To quote another website, “altering cattle feed is not natural, and nature is telling us so.” (http://lettherebebite.com/in-store-guide/meat/beef/)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">E. Coli is a bacteria that lives naturally in a cow’s digestive system, cows that eat an appropriate diet of grass, maintain healthy levels of E. Coli in their systems, however, cows that are converted (for fattening up) to a corn based diet lose the natural balance within their bodies. E. Coli is overproduced and excreted. Cows living in feedlots are constantly exposed to their own excrement, and are in most cases, still covered in it when they are butchered. And here comes the really fun part, that excrement ends up in your hamburger and makes you sick. Makes me sick just thinking about it, to tell you the truth.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Buying grass-fed and FINISHED (as many beef producers are now wising up to the fact that consumers are looking for grass-fed beef, they are labeling their meat “grass-fed”. Since most cows start their lives on farmland, this is true that they were grass-fed, but then they are shipped off to a feed lot where they were FINISHED on a corn diet. Labeling is important at the grocery store, don’t be misled. To be certain, get your beef from a local provider who is proud to put the name of his farm on the label!) beef is safer for many reasons. The likely hood of having contaminated meat from this type of environment is almost non-existent. Since their bodies have less E Coli in their systems, it is not excreted from their bodies. Nor are they required to stand in their excrement day in and day out, so they are not covered in it when taken to slaughter. Also, the farmers in this case are producing meat for their families, friends and neighbors and are MUCH more accountable for the final product (after all, if you get sick from their meat, you may very well be knocking on their door to complain in person…. Do you know where the person lives who produces the hamburger that you bought at the grocery store???)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We often use the expression, food for thought. I’m asking you to take some time to think about your food! Think about where it comes from, how it is produced, how it can effect you, and how do your choices effect the world around you?</p> <!--EndFragment-->LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-13344893490952408052011-12-10T20:02:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:56:09.704-08:00Inspired By A Day At The Farmer's Market<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDD6Vg-7rZ46OOrgzhFUs2uxw0k08XJ_qn1l08X8memaN2r-6PvsUWO7NJzpBLy2gGkW_nHTVX82IJXRaCtWDciLZQuzB-7wfOYIbQ8KYZ6GUfsNFeFXE246t-adWK5u-L1dLS6F-Ndk2/s1600/Farmers-Market.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDD6Vg-7rZ46OOrgzhFUs2uxw0k08XJ_qn1l08X8memaN2r-6PvsUWO7NJzpBLy2gGkW_nHTVX82IJXRaCtWDciLZQuzB-7wfOYIbQ8KYZ6GUfsNFeFXE246t-adWK5u-L1dLS6F-Ndk2/s400/Farmers-Market.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684717974061988882" /></a><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>584</o:Words> <o:characters>3333</o:Characters> <o:company>nada</o:Company> <o:lines>27</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4093</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.256</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">I had an interesting day today working a booth at a local farmer’s market…. not something that I do on a regular basis. I was very excited to be placed between a booth for Hunter Cattle, a local sustainable farm that produces grass fed and pasture raised beef and pork; and Southern Swiss Dairy, a local dairy that produces milk, cheese, ice cream, and butter. It not only presented me with a great opportunity to do a little grocery shopping, but a chance to see the number of people who stopped to ask why this source of meat and dairy was different, better, and yes, more expensive, than what they are used to buying at the grocery store. And it was wonderful to see the education that was taking place right there at the market. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was also wonderful to see these two businesses succeeding and being profitable. If a business is praiseworthy, we should do all we can to make it profitable, as well. As consumers, it is with our money that we express our values. What things do you value? What do you want to see more of in this world? What is important to you in your life? However you answer these questions, it is important to apply those values to the products that you buy, the businesses that you patronize, and the companies that you support with consumer dollars.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have become repeatedly annoyed by the Occupy Wall Street Movement and their claims that they are the 99, not that I disagree, but because they are seeking government intervention for the 99. Here’s the thing, we are the 99%, and we hold the power…. we carry that power around with is in the form of currency, little plastic cards, and check books. We don’t need the government to step in to provide more regulation, we just need to step up and reward companies that operate with integrity by giving them our business; and punish those that act irresponsibly by NOT patronizing them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The same principle applies to agriculture, reward those that are making responsible decisions regarding sustainable practices and any other practices that we find laudable. If consumers are not willing to pay a higher price for healthier, better quality foods produced in a sustainable and humane manner, then local farmers will never be able to stay in business to provide this valuable service. On the other side of the coin, as long as consumers are flocking to the grocery store to pay bottom dollar on factory farmed meat (meat that is produced in a way that harms the environment, is detrimental to our health, is a drain on the communities in which they exist) then THOSE companies will thrive, grow, continue, and prosper. As the 99, we not only hold the key to our own improvement, we also must accept that we are responsible for our current state (ie, this current economy, leaders that refuse to act on OUR behalf, environmental problems, rampant health problems..ok, I could go on, but I won’t).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I apologize for my little rant, I got a little bit side-tracked in this post. I intended to highlight these two businesses that I feel are such wonderful examples of what I hope to help promote in this process. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So, in their own words, here is why Hunter Cattle Company does what it does.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Hunter Cattle Company believes in the healthy benefits of Grassfed Beef, pastured Pork, Free-Range Chickens, and Free-Range Eggs. Our family owned and managed farm is committed to providing the healthiest, best tasting beef, pork, poultry, and eggs for your breakfast, lunch, and dinner plate. We raise and finish our cattle on grass, free to roam and graze. Our pigs are pastured, free to roam and root the way they were intended to. Our chickens get their nutrients from the fields making their meat tasty and the eggs richer than those bought at the grocery store. Our animals receive no added growth hormones, steroids, or antibiotics, and are not subjected to feed lots or cages. Hunter Cattle is committed to the humane treatment of all the animals on our farm, ensuring their health and happiness at all times. We invite you taste the difference! (www.huntercattle.com)</p><p class="MsoNormal">And by the way, I enjoyed some DELICIOUS, farm fresh, pasture raised bacon when I got home.... worth every penny! And since it was pasture raised .... eating a natural diet and free to roam... that bacon actually has healthy benefits including: vitamin E, beta carotene, vitamin C, and even omega 3 fatty acids.</p> <!--EndFragment-->LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-32271165545702039492011-12-07T12:33:00.000-08:002011-12-07T12:47:02.152-08:00Homemade Chicken Stock<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2pdSQmlIS7tsF1P4z3rBZqD4mmTaA_s0OtfmcPwL-t5CWYCl6ra9WUUaIRly7LrLF8-UYFWG8pnQ87ZsXwkB-afGQqJ8Xz6am93c3lKrKkrOze4GHmNHxQgLtYa1qokzmxVb0k2N7qD9/s1600/S5036173.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2pdSQmlIS7tsF1P4z3rBZqD4mmTaA_s0OtfmcPwL-t5CWYCl6ra9WUUaIRly7LrLF8-UYFWG8pnQ87ZsXwkB-afGQqJ8Xz6am93c3lKrKkrOze4GHmNHxQgLtYa1qokzmxVb0k2N7qD9/s400/S5036173.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683490424215635090" /></a><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>338</o:Words> <o:characters>1932</o:Characters> <o:company>nada</o:Company> <o:lines>16</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>2372</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.256</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">One of the things that I’m discovering through this process of abstaining from factory farmed meat (and products) is that I lose access to pretty much all convenience food items (like chicken broth, canned soup, packaged gravy mixes, and of course, prepackaged meals).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Having to make things from scratch isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. But it does require some planning and a little extra time. On the plus side, it is very cost-effective, you can control the amount of fat and sodium content, there are no preservatives or unwanted chemicals (have you seen the news about potentially cancer-causing agents that are present in all commercially canned foods?), and – oh yes- in most cases, it is much more delicious! </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today, I am making a large pot of chicken/vegetable stock to be frozen and used at a later time. I am making the stock from the water that I used to boil two chicken breasts (for today’s meals). Since the meat products that I am buying are significantly higher per pound than their factory farmed counterparts, it’s very important to get as much value and as many uses from the meat as possible. In other words, I’m buying less meat and not letting any of it go to waste (keeping my meat budget very much in-line with what it was before).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Using the same water in which I cooked the chicken (I needed to add more water in order to fill a large pot), I added onion (quartered), a clove of garlic (halved), two carrots (halved), several celery stalks including the leaves (I use the stalks in the center of the bunch that are small and have the most leaves still intact), course fresh-ground pepper, salt, and I use fresh cilantro (just a small handful), you can use any fresh herbs that you prefer or have on hand. Just bring to a rapid boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer on low heat for a good long while (I always simmer mine for at least an hour, sometimes more if I forget that it’s going). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Be sure to taste it and season additionally, if needed. Once it’s ready, pour through a strainer into a pitcher or large bowl, refrigerate or allow broth to come to room temperature, then portion out for later use. I freeze mine in popsicle molds that I have, but you could use ice trays or even zip lock bags. If you use the molds or ice trays, just remove once broth is frozen and place in freezer bags for storage. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Voila! Homemade stock ready to use whenever you need it.</p> <!--EndFragment-->LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-63492017772744713342011-12-04T16:22:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:56:55.652-08:00Resources<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>600</o:Words> <o:characters>3421</o:Characters> <o:company>nada</o:Company> <o:lines>28</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4201</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.256</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Here are some resources that I think you might find useful if you are interested in making some small changes of your own. I’ve purposefully kept the list short and to the point. This is a great place to start without getting too overwhelmed by too much information. I know from my own personal experience on this journey, that finding enough information is not the problem, sorting through it and finding what is relevant can be a very daunting and time consuming endeavor. So, that’s what I’m for! These are sites that I find to be very informative, but also very user-friendly. You can peruse them at your leisure and find some useful information without considerable effort on your part! ;) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Finding <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Local Alternatives to Factory Farmed Meat</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.eatwild.com/">www.eatwild.com</a> Eat wild is a great resource for finding local farmers that embrace sustainable practices and have grass fed (and finished), organic, humane, and /or free-range meat and dairy products. In addition, the website provides a lot of great information about the health benefits of finding alternatives to factory farmed meat. If you are unsure of the reasons for looking for alternatives to factory farmed meat, start here: <a href="http://www.eatwild.com/basics.html">www.eatwild.com/basics.html</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Joining a Movement (Maybe you can’t change the world alone, but that’s what other people are for!)</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/">www.slowfoodusa.org</a> Slow Food USA is an organization that is “<span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Arial;color:#181818;">part of a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members in over 150 countries, which links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment”. The website is a great source of information about local food providers, but it also offers the opportunity to get involved. Slow Food membership dollars are used to help fund campaigns “to create change locally and to push for national changes to the policies and practices that shape our food system”.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Arial;color:#181818;">Most of the meat in this country is produced by a very small number of huge corporations. Those corporations spend millions to lobby Congress to keep laws and policies that work in their favor. If we want things to change in favor of the consumer, we must work together and combine our own smaller resources to have our voices and concerns heard and taken seriously by Congress.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.farm-dreams.com/">www.farm-dreams.com</a> Farm Dreams is a brand new social networking site that had 600 new members on the first day that it launched. It’s a great resource (and one that will get better with time) for anyone interested in gardening, homesteading, farming, disaster preparedness, or just doing and making things for yourself. You can interact with others of similar interests and learn and share knowledge with a community of people. So, it’s a great site to join if you think that you are alone in your desire to restore quality and integrity to our food systems.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Restoring the Planet: Starting with Your Own Backyard</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.backyardnature.net/compost.htm">www.backyardnature.net/compost.htm</a> This was the most straightforward backyard composting site that I have found. Composting is one of those things that seems simple enough until you try to research it on the web… then information overload makes it suddenly complicated. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The rest of the site has some interesting information about your own backyard.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/">www.motherearthnews.com</a> This is a really great all-around informative site for anyone interested in getting away from overly processed foods and goods and possibly doing more things for yourself. The website can be a little frustrating, though, if you have something specific you are interested in researching, but there is a lot of great information there (when you can find it!).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m currently researching backyard beekeeping. When I’ve finished my homework on the subject… I’ll pass along the resources and information that I find to be the most useful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I hope these resources are helpful to you. If you have any that you would like to share, please do so!</p> <!--EndFragment-->LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-39393728819422757152011-11-29T17:07:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:56:55.649-08:00Industrial Revolution Revolutionizes Agriculture. Is that a good thing???<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ippMdjLSyl3ZmghEcDIDuxgBi5d7r4Df4d00R0-IqpGtCNXCCXeOpAssO3rL3YUHOwdK1G3f55x4HC07H8RTPrSS_x6IH9B5Sp8Q4WE5seJwlESNUE2anJTPDxXFtA4-YsSK_oFzAgY4/s1600/factory-farm-01.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ippMdjLSyl3ZmghEcDIDuxgBi5d7r4Df4d00R0-IqpGtCNXCCXeOpAssO3rL3YUHOwdK1G3f55x4HC07H8RTPrSS_x6IH9B5Sp8Q4WE5seJwlESNUE2anJTPDxXFtA4-YsSK_oFzAgY4/s400/factory-farm-01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680591928819920274" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">A factory farm, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a large industrialized farm; especially: a farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Factory farming came about as an extension of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution, as it’s name implies, revolutionized industry by not only introducing machinery to do jobs that had been done by hand; but also through the study of efficiency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So along with wonderful and time/energy (and therefore) cost saving inventions like Eli Whitney’s cotton gin and Singer’s sewing machine, there were also progressive thinkers like Adam Smith promoting ideas like “division of labor” and the “invisible hand” (a rather obscure analogy for a pretty basic idea that as one pursues his own gain, he in turn –inadvertently or not- promotes the greater good of society; or in other words, a business that is interested in being profitable, in turn provides a needed product, thereby improving the good of all – which is all well and good and except for a little thing that economists like to call, negative externalities. More on that at a later date.).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">These inventions and ideas were highly successful in revolutionizing and improving production. Mass production of items became possible and this brought about a number of positive changes. I’ll continue on my theme of cotton and the sewing machine…. suddenly fabric and clothing became much more affordable, much more available, and much LESS troublesome to the housewife who could buy clothing that was ready made as opposed to having to make it herself. Fabulous! Life changing! Truly revolutionary! With machines capable of mass production, and by dividing and specializing labor; people no longer needed to be self-sufficient. Instead of spending all of their time and energy doing EVERYTHING that was needed to run a household, they were able to specialize in an area of trade and buy or barter for the other things that were needed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fast-forward about a hundred years and someone had the bright idea to apply these same principles to agriculture. The factory farm was born. Seems very logical (and in many ways it is); if it worked in transforming the production of textiles and clothing why not corn and bacon? Instead of thousands of little farms that each grew corn, beans, cotton, and cabbage (for instance) and raised 20 or 30 pigs, a hundred head of cattle (some for milking, some for eating), and chickens (again some for laying eggs and some for eating); there should be fewer farms that SPECIALIZE. These farms would just raise pigs, or cows, or chickens, or just plant corn, or wheat, or cabbage. Sounds reasonable, right? Specialization means that each farm would be an expert in the individual product that it raised, the production could be made more efficient, more concise, more economical. It would increase the profit for the farm, and by seeking to improve it’s own profit, these farms would bring greater good to everyone else – more affordable, more accessible, just plain MORE meat for everyone to enjoy. That’s good, right?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s the problem: cows and pigs aren’t textiles, chickens and corn aren’t shirts, water and soil aren’t conveyer belts or cogs in a piece of machinery. Plants and animals are (albeit in much different ways) living things, not inanimate objects. Plants and animals require healthy soil and healthy water and clean air and sunshine to really thrive and grow. Specialized farms lead to a massive depletion of natural resources and an over abundance of specific wastes. There is a natural balance in nature that must be respected regardless of how “inefficient” it may seem. And by ignoring that balance and seeking efficiency at all costs we are beginning to pay the very high price of factory farming.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I could spend a lot of time painting for you (with words of course…. I’m not exactly an artist with paint and brush!) a very ugly picture of factory farming (and I pretty much will over the next few weeks), but for now, let me take a moment to paint a picture of a farm that is in step with the balance of nature as God intended it to work.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s sort of like the chicken and the egg…. I’m not sure which comes first because it’s more of a cycle (made up of other cycles) than a straight line, but I’ll start with the ground water and work my way up. Deep below the surface of the earth is a water source that is pure and clean, this water source feeds springs, wells, streams, providing one of the essentials for life - plant, animal, and human. (And then, of course, we all remember the cycle of water as it is evaporated from the surface of the earth to the atmosphere where it forms clouds and produces precipitation, which in turn falls to the earth, renews the soil, is filtered through the ground and returned to the water table.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Healthy soil is the next layer and it’s cycle looks something this: providing a “home” and nutrients for plants, these plants in turn provide nutrients to animals which then “deposit” nutrients back into the earth, plants also re-deposit nutrients back into the soil. A healthy soil needs a variety of plants and animals all of which take and then deposit different nutrients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Healthy soil also requires plants to help prevent erosion of the topsoil by wind and water.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Plants come next. They feed on nutrients from soil to help them grow; in return, they release nutrients back into the soil, usually when the plants die and decay or after harvest when the remainder of the unused plant is tilled back into the soil. A variety of plants creates a healthier soil, which in turn creates healthier plants. Cattle and other livestock eat the plants and in turn deposit nutrients back into the soil, which in turn provides nutrients to the plants (see the whole cycle pattern repeating itself here?).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then comes the animals, which thrive on clean water and healthy plants. And as before mentioned, they also contribute to a healthy cycle of receiving and returning nutrients from and to the ground. Again, for a healthy cycle to exist, the number of animals must be limited and varied. One species will deplete the same nutrients and over-saturate with an abundance of the same waste (which then takes a “deposit” of nutrients from a beneficial amount to an amount that becomes basically toxic).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, when all of these cycles work together (along with earthworms, insects, birds, bees, and about a gazillion other smaller cycles), there is a natural rhythm of fertilization, pest control, nutrition, and – well – LIFE! And when you go mucking around with these cycles and try to remove them and SPECIALIZE them and put them into their own separate little corners, you screw up the whole process. (Oh, and by the way... just ask the pigs from the farm pictured above how they special they feel!) I’m not a scientist and I don’t pretend to be one. But I don’t think you <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">have</b> to be one to look at the world and begin to see how things make sense and how they don’t make sense. It only makes sense that if you remove a part of the cycle, you are removing a cog from the machinery… things will fall apart. And they certainly have.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think we are only beginning to understand the problems that we created for ourselves with the implementation of factory farming. And we are running around trying to come up with ways to FIX these problems that WE created. And every time we FIX one of these problems, we CREATE another problem, which then has to be FIXED. Instead of fixing, we need to go about RESTORING. Restoring the disrupted cycles, restoring our earth, restoring dignity to the animals that we use for food, restoring the integrity of our food and our methods of production. Restoring health to our water, our earth, and to ourselves.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the next few weeks, I will go into more specifics about the problems that we have created and the ways that we are trying to fix those problems, and how we are really just creating more problems to be fixed at a later date! <span style="font-family:Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;">J</span></span> And if that’s not confusing enough, I’ll also explore ways we can begin (little by little) to bring about restoration. I use the word, we, because “we” truly are responsible, all of us. Whether we are consumers, producers, or bystanders; this is our world and WE (all of we) are responsible for it.</p> <!--EndFragment-->LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-1276593260446328512011-11-21T11:38:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:56:55.639-08:00Caring for Earth and Animals: A Biblical Perspective<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZhbiMZgcs_2Ny-wBCqmCZ2C3-jTVz8FHQ28BHSbGXG7jplKUc52VSqFPtH54Da0yNjESPFiN5bZKcr1ahVmydlhVfqrJN4_cfW0l3Ud4s8MGtMK4Kxw58-8cyrh2mSsol93bt68fK3-b/s1600/sunset13.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZhbiMZgcs_2Ny-wBCqmCZ2C3-jTVz8FHQ28BHSbGXG7jplKUc52VSqFPtH54Da0yNjESPFiN5bZKcr1ahVmydlhVfqrJN4_cfW0l3Ud4s8MGtMK4Kxw58-8cyrh2mSsol93bt68fK3-b/s320/sunset13.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677542856600768018" /></a><br />The book of Genesis provides a description of the creation of the universe. God began by creating the earth; creating light; separating land from sea and darkness from light; he created the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies; he created the vegetation that covered the earth. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Then God turned his attention to the creatures of the earth and mankind, as described <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>below.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>God saw that it was good.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>the creatures that move along the ground."<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>27 So God created man in his own image,<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>in the image of God he created him;<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>male and female he created them.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>creature that moves on the ground."<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>it was so.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>31a God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Genesis 1: 24-31<br /><br /> To summarize, God created all living creatures with the breath of life and he gave them every green plant for food. He also gave mankind its first mandate: “Be Fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over living creature that moves on the ground.” You will notice, however, that it was not God’s intention that man should use his creatures for food. In the perfect world that was Eden, man and beast alike were given “every green plant for food”.<br /><br /><div> I have heard people use this very scripture to justify mistreatment of this planet and the animals that call it home. “Mankind should subdue the earth, it is ours to use, we are the supreme beings on the planet, it was created for our use!” These views distort the words of this scripture to give credence to an attitude that is not in line with the character of God.<br /> The Message translation puts it this way (italisis added for emphasis):<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle,<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>He created them male and female.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>God blessed them:<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>"Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Genesis 1: 26-28<br /> <br /> Other translations use words like “reign”, “rule”, and “govern” to describe Mankind’s relation to the rest of creation. In short, God did make mankind superior to the rest of creation, however, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”(Luke 12:48) With mankind’s superiority to other creatures, comes increased responsibility for those creatures and the earth that we share. The beasts of the field were not given the same level of intelligence and powers of reasoning that humans possess, as such, it is our responsibility to see that they are cared for, protected, and provided for. It is not a matter of animal rights, it is a matter of human responsibility!<br /><br /></div><div> There are those who would like for us to believe that we are hardly different from apes and that humans are just one more animal among all the animals of the earth. This is a lie, in fact, a dangerous lie. It is a lie that absolves mankind of its God given responsibility toward the rest of His creation. If we are no different (read, no better) than the apes, then we can be not be held any more responsible for the earth and its inhabitants than the apes. Would you hold the ape responsible for caring for the environment? Or protecting endangered species? It is precisely because we are created in God’s image and because we were given a specific mandate to be good stewards that we should be responsible to and toward our fellow beings.<br /><br /></div><div>Respecting animals does not diminish the status of mankind, it elevates it. God’s word is full of examples of how much God values His creation. The Bible says that a sparrow does not fall of which God is not mindful. Think about that for a second. A sparrow. One of the most plentiful birds on the planet. A small, unremarkable bird. Yet, not one sparrow dies without God noticing it. If God cares that much about each of His creatures, shouldn’t those of us created in His image, created to be like Him, be just as concerned? It’s one of our “jobs” as people. And if God cares that much about a sparrow, how much more do you think He cares about people (His creation that is most reflective of Himself).</div><div><br /> God’s first choice was that people and animals live off the earth’s vegetation. The food chain, as we know it, was not part of God’s original plan. I think this speaks volumes about the character of God and the love he has for all his creation. He looked down on a world where bloodshed was a not a necessary function of life and he was pleased. It was only after sin entered the world that the shedding of blood became necessary. The Bible does not clearly state how this transition occurred, but it is clear that at some point, even the animals began to behave differently. And, in fact, it was not until after the flood that God gave mankind permission to use animals as a food source.</div><div><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>earth. All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>and vegetables.<br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Genesis 9: 1-3<br /><br />Now that I have laid out the reason for it, here is my opinion. I have a really hard time believing that God could possibly look down and be pleased with our current practices of “raising” meat. The God who notices the passing of a sparrow must also see the unnecessary suffering of countless farm animals. The God who created life cannot be pleased with standard industry practices of sending all male chicks (half of all chickens hatched) down a conveyer belt to into a chipper where they meet a horrible death. If it turns MY stomach and I am created in HIS likeness, I can only imagine how He must feel about it.<br /><br />And before it is brought to my attention, I fully acknowledge that there are greater atrocities in the world. Abortion is horrible, genocide is horrible, massive famine is horrible, child abuse is horrible, starvation is horrible, homelessness is horrible. All of these things (and countless more) are wrong and bring grief to our Creator. However, <i>this</i> is my calling, <i>this</i> is my passion, <i>this</i> is where my heart is, <i>this</i> is what I am equipped to do.<br /><br />I also believe that elevating the value of life for farm animals (all animals), in turn, elevates the value of human life! If we can learn to have compassion for pigs and cows and chickens and turkeys, if we can begin to understand that EACH of God’s creatures has value, if we can teach our children to respect and honor and cherish the lives of animals; how much more will we (as a society) cherish, honor, respect, value, uphold the lives of our fellow human beings. When we degrade the value of these animals that we raise for food, when we treat them like objects instead of living, breathing, sentient beings; we are, in effect, devaluing all life and the Creator that grants it.<br /><br />Additionally, I believe (and have seen some pretty strong scientific evidence that supports that belief) that our current use of factory farming methods has seriously adverse effects for human life as well. I guess it comes back to that whole reaping what you sow thing.<br /></div>LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-20584103717196190642011-11-19T16:53:00.000-08:002011-11-19T17:57:12.612-08:00Animals Were Harmed in the Making of Chocolate? Talk about a moral dilemma!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVsdEGRgiVp-w4hjgYwBomDFe42hssYEj4pxpxU4tTQllN71dyeq0wq3zoGru3oWboGiH1XkwpyRNC8gybPRpMFvx_CEsRBnUIRZVKZ7J7BblDvfjTYQFMOiWdLDGbK4Wcw4b-roIAZ2X/s1600/meatless+tacos.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVsdEGRgiVp-w4hjgYwBomDFe42hssYEj4pxpxU4tTQllN71dyeq0wq3zoGru3oWboGiH1XkwpyRNC8gybPRpMFvx_CEsRBnUIRZVKZ7J7BblDvfjTYQFMOiWdLDGbK4Wcw4b-roIAZ2X/s320/meatless+tacos.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676884983365116562" /></a><br />Today completes the first week of my new “put my money where my mouth is” lifestyle change. Some things went quite as I expected, but I also encountered a few oops-hadn’t-really-thought-that-one-through moments. <br /><br />You see, ideally, I do not want to support the mainstream dairy industry, because said industry engages in a number of practices that I find especially disturbing. For instance, in order for cows to continuously lactate, they must be pregnant on a fairly regular basis. Because of this, calves are often an unwanted byproduct of the dairy industry. Like most byproducts, these calves are often disposed of; in some pretty horrible ways, no less. Now, to be clear, I’m not accusing every dairy in the industry to partake in this practice, but it is common enough to be cause for concern. Not to mention, the accepted practice within the industry of using growth hormones and antibiotics. Anyway, suffice it to say for the moment that “regular” dairy products are on my “try not to buy” list. No big deal, my plan was to buy organic from the supermarket until I can find a local supplier of milk and cheese. See, it’s all about making incremental changes, choosing good options when better or best are not available.<br />But here is the REAL kicker… oddly enough - milk chocolate is made with milk!!!!!!!! What??? I didn’t think about that one when I decided to go get all principled about my food….no chocolate? I’m still working on this one. I have a plan to begin a letter writing campaign to chocolate manufacturers urging them to put pressure on the dairy industry to clean up their act! ☺ I figure I’ll wait until the next time I’m suffering from PMS and denying myself chocolate, that way I can come up with a letter that they might take seriously! <br /><br />I’m not entirely certain that I can give up chocolate cold turkey, but it did make me think….. have you ever stopped to consider that animals could very well have been harmed in the process of making something so perfectly harmless as a chocolate bar? That low-wage workers could have been exposed to health risks (from toxic fumes often found in high concentrations within the confines of industrialized farming operations) while going about their daily jobs at a dairy to produce a key ingredient of your favorite chocolaty morsel?<br /><br />I don’t bring these things up to make you feel guilty about eating chocolate, but to make an important point. It’s all a part of that whole “Facing Your Food” thing (hey, that would make a great name for a blog!) Choices we make every single day matter. Whether we agree with these practices or not, our consumer dollars are going to support them. So, we have a responsibility to hold manufacturers responsible for the choices that they are making. To realize that the production of something as benign as a piece of chocolate could be having a negative impact on our environment, our health, and animal welfare is a pretty profound realization.<br /><br />But, back to other things. It was a little surprising to me that I spent less on groceries and food this week then I generally do. Even though I did spend more on organic dairy products, I did not purchase any meat and ate out much less. I did not eat any meat for five days and didn’t miss it once…. (Well, ok… there was that one time when everyone ordered breakfast at work and I REALLY wanted some bacon). I enjoyed my veggie sub from Subway® and vegetable lo mein from the Chinese restaurant. At home, I ate a lot of vegetables, black beans, rice, sweet potatoes… generally found myself making healthier choices since I wasn’t filling up on large portions of meat at every meal. Yesterday, I cooked with ground deer meat (good thing about living in rural Georgia is that I know plenty of people who hunt).<br /><br />Next week, I plan to get a package of humanely raised chicken, at $9/lb, it doesn’t come cheap, but using it sparingly and filling up on low cost items like rice, beans, and seasonal vegetables… it can be squeezed into even a tight budget. I plan to make some chicken stock and freeze it in ice cubes for use in cooking as needed. When paying a premium price for a quality product, it's important to get the most use out of as possible. I've been using this particular brand of chicken for a while now (can't remember the name at the moment, but will try to post that information later), but was surprised the first time I cooked it by how much more flavorful it was than the chicken I had become accustomed to from the grocery store (can you say tasteless?). The chicken breasts are also much smaller than the Dolly Parton birds you are likely to find in most of the poultry section. But the most disturbing difference that I noticed immediately was how GOOD it smelled when I simply boiled it; in contrast to that strange chemical smell that "regular" chicken from the grocery store always seems to emit. All of these differences are part of why it's so important to me to change my own eating habits and to share this information with others. To quote a report of the PEW Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production: "Food animals that are treated well and provided with at least minimum accommodation of their natural behaviors and physical needs are healthier and safer for human consumption." (I would urge you to read this report in full, it is not terribly long and easy to skim for the highlights. http://www.ncifap.org/reports/)<br /><br />Here is my "recipe" (I use this term loosely as things like using measuring devices or making something the same way twice seem to be concepts that elude me) for the Meatless Tacos pictured above.<br />Heat 2 cans of black beans (minus the liquid) in a pan with sauteed garlic (or onion if you prefer) and diced fresh jalepenos, season with chili and cumin powder to taste. Once bubbling, turn down and cook over low heat for about 20 mins. Serve in taco shells, flour tortillas, or take corn tortillas and pass them through a hot oil bath, turning once (tortillas should be pliable, but almost crisp). I top them with chopped avacado, tomato, jalepeno, chopped fresh cilantro (a must!!!), olives, and a dollup of sour cream.<br /><br />More to come on that letter writing campaign at a later date....LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89042996146746637.post-91474736376133925612011-11-17T18:34:00.000-08:002011-11-17T18:40:23.055-08:00A Journey BeginsA journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step… or so the saying goes. So, here I am teetering on the verge of my fist step of what I can only assume will be a long, complicated, trying, and (hopefully!) rewarding journey. There is another saying that seems rather apropos as well, put your money where your mouth is!<br /><br />For the last few years, as I have learned more and more about the factory farming method that is currently the primary way of producing meat and dairy products, I have become increasingly concerned and appalled by the practices that my own consumer dollars are supporting. While I have been doing a lot of talking about the need for change and a move toward a more sustainable method of food production, talk is cheap! Now is the time for action.<br /><br />My purpose for this blog is to document my findings and experiences as I attempt to put my money where my mouth is… literally! ☺ I have complained about the problems and dangers of factory farming for long enough, and now I’m going to put up or shut up! And I’m inviting you to keep me honest by holding me accountable. I welcome your questions, comments, disagreements, and (hopefully) support! I’m hoping the blog can help stimulate a conversation about our food and ways to make it better. Experts agree that our current system is not sustainable long-term, so now is the time to begin to make changes to keep meat a part of our diet, keep it affordable, and produce it responsibly.<br /><br />I don’t claim to have all the answers, or even answers at all, really. What I do have is a lot of available information, research skills, and the desire to learn and share as much about this important topic as I’m able. So, I hope you will consider being a part of my journey… trips are so much more fun with company!<br /><br />In the next few weeks, I will go into some of the reasons why this is so important to me and what I plan to do on this journey. I also want to share information about how factory farming is a drain on our society and adversely affects our economy, environment, healthcare, and animal welfare. Coming up…. Factory Farming Defined, Alternatives Explored and The Bottom Line – The High Cost of “Cheap” Meat.LeeAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17594523788550077960noreply@blogger.com0