Sweetened drinks: an American addiction

In my quest I had no problem at all cutting on soda and any other sweetened drink. This is because I am Italian and I grew up considering water a drink, and everything else a snack or some kind of guilty pleasure to be enjoyed only in seldom special occasions. We did not buy Coke in my house, and not because my mum was some kind of health nut, it simply was not normal for us to spend money on something that offered no nutritional value at all. I had fruit juices growing up, and looking back at the ingredients of my favorite ones I realize that they were full of unnecessary extra sugar. But I always had them as a part of a snack, rather than as a way to quench my thirst. I think this is an essential and saving difference. I crave water when I am thirsty, and water only. I can have a juice or a coke but it's more like having a treat than anything else. My husband instead grew up drinking soda and almost no water at all. My mother in law candidly told me that pediatricians recommended adding honey to the kids water, to help them "get used" to it. Almost as if water wasn't what we are naturally supposed to drink, while sugar is. If it's true that Americans are used to associate drinking with a sweet taste since infancy, it is no surprise that there are so many obese people in this nation. Mums nowadays are not doing any better, since apple juice seem to be the drink of choice of most kids. In the store I saw organic apple juice for sale, and while this is a better solution than a soda or sugar water, it is yet another way to get people used to drinking something sweet instead of water. It only adds unnecessary calories to the kids' nutrition and the little nutritional value is definitely surpassed by eating a real apple instead.
For these reasons I haven't researched on artificial sweeteners vs. real sugar. I will from now on  take my coffee with real sugar, and I will keep not drinking soda. Artificial sweeteners are just another chemical product that add to the many artificial ingredients we ingest everyday in highly processed foods, there is no "organic" or "natural" alternative. In a way it is like the fight between margarine and butter. I'd much rather have old fashioned butter, although in moderation, than artificial margarine any day of the year.

The Quest for the Reusable Bag

Since I started the quest I have also finally adopted reusable bags. I have 3 bags that I keep in my car, when I come home I immediately put them near the entrance to the garage to remind me to put them back in the car as soon as I get out. So far I have been pretty good at remembering to take them with me, but I have to say I did have some concerns about putting produce in the bags with no kind of external "protection" like at least a paper bag. So I was using the paper bags to separate produce and then I was putting them in the reusable bag. I now realize that that defeated the purpose of the reusable bag itself. It is true that paper bags at least are biodegradable and recyclable ( plus I love using them to store my home made bread for example ) but making them is still very expensive in terms of energy and of trees. So I will try keeping my produce "free to roam" in the bags from now on. The only downside is that I will have to start using some kind of bleach spray to clean the inside of the bags once I bring them home, since it seems like repeatedly using the same bags can foster the spread of bacteria and fungi.

According to Wikipedia,  from the sheer number of reusable bags imported every year, each and every family in the States should already own enough bags for a lifetime, yet plastic bags are still being heavily used. Moreover it's interesting to note that most of the bags are imported from China, couldn't the U.S. produce their own bags ? Maybe out of recycled materials? I am referring to the bags commonly found at supermarkets like Jewel or Meijer or Walmart. I am sure that it is possible to find bags made in the US if I bought them online, but shouldn't they be readily and easily accessible? As usual California seems to be ahead on this kind of issue, and apparently Walmart there sells the bag for 15 cents ( instead of 1-3 $ like the rest of the country) and it is preparing to switch completely over to reusable bags. This is a perfect example of how the choices we make can influence even the biggest corporations. Evidently Walmart is trying to have a better image in California because there are more environmentally conscious customers over there. It is time for the whole country to change, but there is still a lot of work to do, even in such a small matter as reusable bags. First of all they shouldn't be another reason for large profits for supermarkets. A reusable bag costs between 15-25 cents to a store and they sell them at a minimum of 99 cents. Secondly the use of reusable bags should be promoted while the use of plastic bags should be discouraged.

 In Ireland , plastic bags have been subject to an Environmental Levy since 2002, according to which the retailers have to pay a levy of 0.15 euro cents for every bag they give to customers. The funds thus raised go directly into an environmental fund used to finance a range of waste management initiatives.

This levy has resulted in a dramatic decrease in ‘single-use’ plastic bag consumption over the past

year and a substantial increase in reusable bags. The levy does not apply to paper bags, and many

retailers have switched to paper, but these have not replaced plastic shopping bags in supermarkets.

Since its introduction, the levy has raised 3.5 million euros for waste management and

environmental projects. It has been reported that the use of plastic bags has fallen by 90-95%. The

impact on the litter stream is being monitored by the Coast Watch.(Plastic shopping bags - analysis on levies and environmental impacts by the Department of Environment and Heritage of Australia)

Many other countries have adopted similar methods, with good result. From what I found, in the U.S. some states, like New Jersey, tax directly the companies producing such pollutants, but that doesn't impact the consumer to make him change his habits. I know some stores offer a minimal discount if customers bring their own bag, but I am sure that a levy on the use of plastic bags would definitely change the behavior of Americans that are very economically minded. Why is it that the U.S. always have to come last when it comes to this kind of issues? The more I read about environment the more I find that many other countries have found viable solutions to most of the problems, while the U.S. resists any kind of change. The reason is usually the excessive power of big corporations on the political power. My question at this point is: are the United States a democracy or a plutocracy? I am starting to think the second is most true.

Our CSA experience - first box

Our first box from the CSA

Yesterday we got our first box from the CSA. We got:

• 12 eggs
• 4 ears of sweetcorn
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 large summer squash
• 1 red cabbage
• 1 kohlrabi
• 1 bunch of parsley

I will be honest, I was hoping for more zucchini. I think probably the sweetcorn ears took up a lot of the space. I like sweetcorn but there isn't as much you can do with it except eating it boiled or grilled. I prefer more "creative" recipes. My challenges are going to be the kohlrabi and the red cabbage. I have been scouring the internet for interesting recipes, hopefully we will find something useful. We are also going to eat a lot more eggs, but since we are cutting back on the meat I suppose that is not so bad. I already made frittata with some leftover potatoes yesterday, and I am planning some tasty pasta for tonight.

The Bread Quest - First Attempt

Ideally, we would like to start making our own bread for a variety of reasons:

•  One is that the bread that we buy at the store is not entirely to our satisfaction anyway. I am from Italy and I miss the crusty bread that lasts fresh and tasty for more than one day that I ate everyday at home, and I don't even consider "toast" bread a real bread to be eaten with a meal. 
• I also noticed that in the bread I buy at the store, even the fresh one from the bakery, there are a bunch of ingredients that I don't recognize as "natural" . 
• By making our own bread  we could use organic ingredients, since there are no organic breads in the stores near our home.
• My husband loves making bread and there is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread in the house. 

4 grains plus flax roll

A couple of days ago my husband tried  making a white French bread. It looked perfect and it was pretty good although it was a lot heavier and more solid than we would have liked. Besides I would like to eat whole grain, since it's so much healthier and the higher amount of fiber help me with my diet. So yesterday I tried to make a 4 grains and flax bread, following the recipe indicated by Arrowhead mills, the makers of the 4 grains mix. It did not turn out too good. I made 8 small bread rolls shaped like mini-baguettes. First of all it took much longer to cook them than indicated in the box. Secondly they are way too solid and dry so they were a big disappointment. I am starting to think a breadmaker would probably solve our problem, also because it seems to take so long and so much effort to make the bread from scratch that it doesn't seem feasible,especially with a baby in the house.

Why It Is a Good Idea to Join a CSA ( Community Supported Agriculture)

We just joined a CSA farm, which is a farm that sells shares of its crops at the beginning of the season and then gives a share of its crops weekly to its members during harvest season. The farm we joined is called Freedom Organix  and is located in Harvard, which is not too far from us. We joined when the season had already begun, but we are still going to enjoy 12 weeks of organic and fresh vegetables and pastured eggs! We also subscribed for their Harvest Box and reserved a turkey for Thanksgiving. Today we are going to get our first box and we are very excited about it. To us, it made sense to join a CSA because it offered multiple advantages

1) All the vegetables that we will eat will be organic and locally farmed without having to go every few days to the farmers' market and at a cheaper price than that of the farmers' market

2) The money that we spend will go directly to a small family farm and not in the hands of some big corporation or distributor

3) We will have the chance to visit the farm where our vegetables are grown and I think that is not only a pleasant experience for us but also a valuable lesson for our son as he grows older

4) We will eat whatever comes in the box, which means we will have to eat any vegetable we get depending on what is in season. For us that will probably mean more variety throughout the year as we tend to buy always the same "favorites" at the supermarket without risking to try vegetables that we are not familiar with. It is purely a psychological factor but while for example I ate everything my parents presented me, I never voluntarily bought certain kinds of food that I like less. This way we will feel like we don't want to waste anything and we will be challenged to find new recipes for foods we are less used to

5) Eating fresh and in season means also getting more vitamins and nutrients

So these are the theoretical advantages of the CSA. As we get the box and we actually try the vegetables I will post about the practical advantages/disadvantages.

Product Review : Organic Pork Chops from R-family farm

Last Saturday we bought pork chops from R-Family Farm at the Farmers' market in Woodstock, IL. They raise their own Berkshire pigs that are free to graze and pasture while also fed the organic feed that they make on their farm. The meat is slightly darker than the one you would find at the store and it's obviously more expensive, since we bought 4 pork chops for 15.00 $.
I cooked the chops in the pan simply seasoning them with salt and pepper, so that the natural flavor of the meat would be more clearly detectable. I have to say the chops were much more flavorful than the store bought ones and maybe also a little more firm and a little less fat than what we usually get. I also noticed that the meat didn't lose as much "water" while cooking. We were very satisfied with them and we would recommend them to anyone.

VICTORY! USDA Sets Clear Pasture Standards for Organic Dairy

On the website of the Organic Consumers Association I finally found further information on the issue of pasture access for organic cows. Apparently new regulations are on their way of being approved ( as I understand from the official document they started having effect on June 2010 but the producers have 1 year of time to comply). Cows will have to be pastured for at least 120 days of the year, but although that is a giant step forward, cows are still allowed to be grain fed for 120 days for finishing. On the OCA website there is a petition that can be signed to change this part of the regulations. Here I report the whole news about the regulations and the concerns of the OCA regarding finishing.

VICTORY! USDA Sets Clear Pasture Standards for Organic Dairy
WORK TO BE DONE: 4 Months In Feedlots to "Finish" Organic Beef? Organic Consumers Say "No!"


USDA Press Release:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2010 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced details of the final regulation regarding access to pasture for organic livestock operations. This rule amends the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations to clarify the use of pasture in raising organic ruminants.


"Clear and enforceable standards are essential to the health and success of the market for organic agriculture," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The final rule published today will give consumers confidence that organic milk or cheese comes from cows raised on pasture, and organic family farmers the assurance that there is one, consistent pasture standard that applies to dairy products."


The final rule provides certainty to consumers that organic livestock production is a pasture based system in which animals are actively grazing pasture during the grazing season. The majority of organic dairy and ruminant livestock producers are already grazing animals and maintaining pastures that meet the requirements of this rule. These standards contain clear requirements that will provide greater assurance that all producers are being held to the same standards.


USDA received a substantial number of comments on provisions of the rule affecting finish feeding practices of slaughter livestock, and has extended the comment period for this provision for 60 days. Finish feeding is commonly used by organic farmers and ranchers to improve the grade of beef and involves feeding livestock grain


"It is difficult to decouple standards for milking cows from standards for finish feeding," said Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "Since finish feeding gets swept up into this dairy rulemaking, we are taking an extra step and inviting public comment on the finish feeding requirements. We want to be certain that our actions pertaining to finish feeding are aligned with organic principles."


This final rule is the culmination of a process that was initiated in 2005 when the National Organic Standards Board recommended that ruminants obtain a minimum 30 percent dry matter intake for at least 120 days. The proposed rule, published on Oct. 28, 2008, received over 26,000 comments from producers, retailers, handlers, certifying agents, consumers, trade associations, organic associations, animal welfare organizations, consumer groups, state and local government entities and various industry groups.


The main components of the rule include:


-Animals must graze pasture during the grazing season, which must be at least 120 days per year;
-Animals must obtain a minimum of 30 percent dry matter intake from grazing pasture during the grazing season;
-Producers must have a pasture management plan and manage pasture as a crop to meet the feed requirements for the grazing animals and to protect soil and water quality; and,
-Livestock are exempt from the 30 percent dry matter intake requirements during the finish feeding period, not to exceed 120 days. Livestock must have access to pasture during the finishing phase.
The final rule becomes effective 120 days after publication, June 17, 2010. Operations which are already certified organic will have one year to implement the provisions. Operations which obtain organic certification after the effective date will be expected to demonstrate full compliance.


Although this is a final rule, comments on the exceptions for finish feeding of ruminant slaughter stock may be submitted before April 19, 2010. This 60-day comment period pertains to the finish feeding provisions only. The specific questions to consider and instructions for submitting comments are available on the NOP website at http://www.ams.usda.gov/NOP .


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There is still work to be done. The Organic Consumers Association recognizes serious environmental and health concerns with the USDA's plan to "finish" organic cattle in feedlots, a.k.a. factory farms, for up to four months.


Organic cattle grazed on pasture produce food that is healthier, safer, and more nutritious than cattle "finished" on organic grain in a feedlot. The use of pasture also protects the environment and removes dangerous greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The safety of the meat is also a concern. Cattle fed grass rather than grain are less likely to harbor the deadly pathogen E. coli.