Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
January 26, 2011 – Where’s the Beef?
After the post a few weeks ago when I discovered that Dean’s Guacamole dip contained less than 2% avocado, the Taco Bell meat controversy deserves some time as well. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Taco Bell claiming that the products contain “seasoned beef” are misleading because the lawsuit claims the filling is only 35% beef. Taco Bell claims it is not true. It really shouldn’t take long to figure it out right?
Looking at the legal definitions, puts this at a whole ‘nother level. The USDA definition states that “Ground Beef” must contain at least 70% beef (the rest can be beef fat). Taco Bell claims that their “ground beef” contains “88% USDA inspected quality beef,” Creed said. The rest of the recipe includes: 3%-5% water, 3%-5% spices and 3%-5% oats, starch, sugar, yeast, citric acid, and other ingredients. So, if my math is right and you use the cheapest beef (70% beef) and subtract 12% for the ingredients Taco Bell claims it adds to the “ground beef,” you wind up with something that is about 62% beef.
According to the law, “Taco Beef Filling” must contain 40% beef. Tired yet? My point in this dust-up is that it is unreasonable to expect that when you plop down a buck for a dollar meal, can anyone think that the ingredients are top of the line, or even reasonable knock-offs of what they are imitating?
January 14, 2011 – Martin’s First Lasagna
Martin had the afternoon off from school, so he had time for a new cooking adventure. We looked up a lasagna recipe and Martin was off to the races.
This was Martin’s favorite part, layering the meat mixture, noodles, mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese mixtures.
It turned out wonderfully, and best of all, since we were making a big mess, Martin made one to eat and one to freeze.
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #191″
January 5, 2011 – Happy Birthday to Mark!
OK, it’s not a milestone birthday, but it’s getting close!
Linda surprised me with a couple of great items. First she made the northern Minnesota wedding/funeral dish, gulumpkes (cabbage rolls). It was her first time, and they were great and it won’t take 20 years to make them again.
Following up the gulumpkes was a difficult task, but then she rolled out another item suitable for the northland waters – a graphite composite canoe paddle. This paddle is so light, it feels as though you are holding air. It will be a nice match to the black and wood trim canoe and should last as long as I do!
January 4, 2011 – Holy Guacamole!
This holiday season we unwittingly had some Dean’s Guacamole dip. Or so we thought we had guacamole dip. The label looks nice – green with photos of avocados, tomatoes, and onion proudly displayed. Better yet, it boasts 0 grams of transfat per serving. But a closer look at the ingredient label reveals that it is only “guacamole flavored” and in fact, contains less than 2% avocado!
Here’s the ingredient label:
SKIM MILK, SOYBEAN OIL, TOMATOES, WATER, COCONUT OIL, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF AVOCADO, WHOLE EGG, ONION*, SALT, DISTILLED VINEGAR, EGG YOLKS, SUGAR, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEY (MILK), LACTIC ACID, SODIUM CASEINATE (MILK), ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, TOMATO JUICE, VEGETABLE MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, SPICES, SODIUM BENZOATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), GELATIN, CORN STARCH, GUAR GUM, CELLULOSE GEL & CELLULOSE GUM, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, LOCUST BEAN GUM, DISODIUM, PHOSPHATE, GUM ARABIC, XANTHAN GUM, CILANTRO*, NATURAL FLAVORS, EXTRACTIVE OF PAPRIKA, CITRIC ACID, ASCORBIC ACID, BLUE 1, RED 40, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6. *DEHYDRATED.
Compare to a guac recipe that more people might think of:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- A dash of freshly grated black pepper
- 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Should you be able to produce a food label with pictures of ingredients that make up less than 2% of the product?
one year ago…”Emma’s 2nd Wood Project”
November 25, 2010 – The Feast
After yesterday’s uncomfortable outdoor experience, thought it best to lead with something warm and turkey related.
Here’s a slab of turkey in the smoker. We baked one turkey and smoked another half outside in the smoker. I was the best-smelling guy all day, tending the smoker. This turkey was out of this world good.
Pie master Linda at work on the lattice top for the cherry pie.
The completed cherry pie.
An apple pie.
And of course, a so-called pumpkin pie (actually it was squash from our garden - many folks don’t know that even store-bought pumpkin pie filling from the store is squash).
Getting the vittles ready.
Still more vittle preparation.
Making the cranberry sauce from scratch (great with port).
Finally, the turkey dressing getting ready to mix. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
one year ago…”Turkeys Ready to Go”
November 20, 2010 – Chicken and Dumplings
Martin loves to work in the kitchen.
This week was his second time cooking chicken and dumplings.
The first time he made it, there wasn’t enough dumplings to go around, so this time he doubled the dumpling recipe. They were good, but next time we suggested making the individual dumplings a bit smaller!
one year ago…”Bobcats Reach State Championship”
November 12, 2010 – Who Picks Your Fruits and Vegetables and Where do They Sleep at Night?
There’s a little-discussed issue that immigration reform is bringing to the fore – whether you view the person who picks your food as an “illegal” when they require emergency health care or a “guest worker” if you are a large scale fruit or vegetable producer or consumer in the grocery store. More and more, I’m aware of the disadvantages small, family-scale farms run against. I often hear “Why can’t a small farm grow things cheaper than I can get in the grocery store?” The answer is they (we) can’t, because our tax dollars are subsidizing the larger producers directly and indirectly by caring for the “illegals” or “guest workers.” To start out, just a few examples of the direct subsidies that encourage “illegals” or “guest workers.”
Taxpayer-Funded Migrant Worker Housing
Many state and federal programs are set up to pay for housing for migrant workers. Jessie Lane, Washington Growers League says “It just didn’t make a lot of sense for growers to spend the money to build housing that was just going to sit there for 11 months of the year empty.” Gee, it doesn’t make sense for me to buy a hay baler that sits idle 360 days a year, or a tiller that sits unused 360 days a year. Do you think I can get the government to pay for it, like farm labor housing is being paid for by our tax dollars while the profits stay with the private companies who use the housing?
Here are just a few programs I’ve run across the last few months in the Vegetable Growers News magazine.
In New York, loan programs are available to help growers pay for housing that provides growers with 10 years of interest-free financing.
In Michigan – fruit growers have USDA duplexes, which are funded by a loan from USDA’s Rural Development program.
There are more than 100,000 agricultural workers in Washington, about one-third of whom are migrant workers, according to the Washington State Employment Security Department. In 1999, recognizing the need for more farm worker housing, Washington dedicated $8 million to creating new housing every two years. In 2007, the state increased this amount to $14 million every two years and added a $4 million infrastructure loan program for growers who wanted to build on-farm housing.
In California, President of the Nisei Farmer’s League says “We’ve recommended to many of our growers: Don’t put housing on your farms,” Cunha said. “You’re asking for trouble.” Cunha envisions a scenario that might solve the state’s migrant housing problems: Let cities take over the construction and management of migrant housing.
Reliance on Migrant Workers
Of course, this is all due to the heavy reliance large growers have on “illegals” or “guest workers.” The US Homeland Security Secretary said “Efforts to secure the border will fail unless the magnet that attracts illegals is turned off,” the fact sheet said. “Unfortunately, the fines for relying on illegal workers are so modest that some companies treat them as little more than a cost of doing business. No sector of the American economy requires a legal flow of foreign workers more than agriculture.”
The treatment of these workers can be gleaned from this common-sense advice to growers from Vera Bitsch, an agricultural economics professor at Michigan State University. “Simple things like readily accessible drinking water can make a huge difference in worker productivity and morale.” Really, someone has to say this?
There’s a reason that no one wants to touch this issue politically. Depending on where you sit, the same person is an “illegal” or “guest worker.” So when politicians rally about closing down the border and stopping the flow of illegals as part of campaign rhetoric, then cash the checks from their big agricultural friends, it’s not surprising that little reform of any kind happens.
I would like to point out that I certainly can sympathize with those that want to make a better life for themselves. It points out that there are powerful interests at work that are not being truthful. In the end, it’s all about how important we think food is to us (if you remember Maslow’s Pyramid of needs – shelter and food were at the top of the list, but while shelter is at the top of how we spend our money, food is not.) The following tables highlight the differences from 1901 to 2003.
In 1901, shelter accounted for 32.8% of income, in 2002 shelter accounted for 23.3 % of income.
Food, meanwhile required 42.5% in 1901 and only 13.1% in 2003, with approximately 35% of that spent at restaurants. I argue that we should pay the real cost of food at the store, and not in our income taxes. If the real price of food was reflected in the grocery store price, more smaller farmers could compete, increasing rural vitality, and more people would find it worthwhile to grow their own, and be able to take more of their own needs, making them more resilient to economic downturns.
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #184″
September 20, 2010 – Honey Extraction Day
Today was a big day at high hopes – honey extraction day! It was a rough year for beekeeping. We have three hives. Two of the hives were new this spring, so first year’s don’t often produce to much as they have to get organized and numbers bred up. The other hive swarmed, so lost some worker bees as well. Then, with the wet weather, it was hard for the bees to get out.
I missed Linda retrieving the supers from the hive – but here they are in the back of Sube. The idea is to get the supers during the day when many of the bees are out foraging. Then, you need to protect the stolen supers from the hive as they will try to retrieve the honey and the supers will be surrounded by an angry swarm. So, they are locked in the back of the car.
Extracting is best done in a hot environment. The high today was 90 degrees, so the honey was warm and would flow easily. In addition, I turned on the propane heater in the garage to keep it warm after the sun went down. Since the garage is not bee proof, we wait until after dark and the bees are all back in the hive after sunset. Here Linda removes some frames from the supers. (No we are not on the payroll of the Ely, MN chamber as the car bumper sticker and Linda’s shirt may suggest.)
Here’s a blue-ribbon frame – full and robust.
Worth its weight in gold is the electric uncapping knife to slice off the wax caps from the comb.
Here’s a really angry-looking guy spinning the manual extractor. The spinning of the extractor slings the honey out of the frames. Spin for a bit and them turn the frames around and spin again. He must have known that the next morning would bring aches of muscles usually not used!
Martin guards the honey gate at the bottom of the extractor.
The honey filters through three filters – a coarse mesh filter and a finely-woven fabric supported by another metal filter.
Finally, the honey safely tucked in jars. We ended up with about 10 gallons in total! The honey this year was very amber. That color is not what is typically is commercially available, despite the fact that dark amber honey has up to 20 times the anti-oxidants of run-of-the-mill commercial light honey.
one year ago…”Inaugural Chicken Butchering”
August 27, 2010 – Ag Incubator Building Ribbon Cutting!
Today was a milestone for local foods, Marshalltown Community College, and Linda.
It was the ribbon cutting for the new ag incubator building adjacent to the college and serving the farmers renting some of the land on the adjacent 140 acres of certified organic land. Participating in the ribbon cutting are Linda, Rep Latham, Sue Martin Executive Director of the Martha Ellen Tye Foundation, and Conrad DeJardin, Community College Board of directors.
Our congressman, Tom Latham spoke – he was able to help secure some funding for a portion of the building through the Small Business Administration.
Here’s a shot of the front of the building.
Inside is an office, place for vegetable washing, storage, and coolers. This is just the first part of a vision put forth by Linda seven years ago to help small entrepreneurial farmers, learn, produce, and market foods. Next? An incubator kitchen so producers can legally process foods and test recipes before going to a larger food processing facility.
Dr Linda Barnes Speaks at Ribbon Cutting
Iowa Valley Board of Directors Vice President Yvonne Mallory Speaks at Ribbon Cutting
Congressional Representative Tom Latham Speaks at Ribbon Cutting
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #174″
August 21, 2010 – Canning Raspberries
When the berries come on fast, in addition to freezing, we like to can some whole berries – they are great in the winter in yogurt, cold cereal, and pancakes. they are easy to can as well.
First heat some water and sugar for the liquid to a boil – add sugar to taste. Heat up canning kettle to boiling. Soften up the canning lids by getting water to nearly boiling and putting lids in and then take off the heat.
Put berries directly in jars.
Fill to within a half inch of the top of the jar with the boiling sugar water mix.
Wipe the rim of the jars dry, put on lids, hand tighten rings, and put in boiling water bath for 20 minutes, making sure an inch of water is above the jars. It’s a quick and easy way to put up food for later.
one year ago…”Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program”
August 6, 2010 – Pesto!
My sis and sig other and boy came down this weekend. It’s a great time to visit the farm. With all the fresh veggies, food is fresh.
Linda whipped up some pesto and the picture pretty much speaks for itself!
one year ago…”Thingamajig Thursday #173″
July 14, 2010 – On the Land
Away from the water, the wild blueberries are abundant this year.
Some fun with a camera setting that just detects one color.
Wild blueberries in full color. Picking blueberries is rather relaxing and it’s a great excuse to get out and tromp around the woods, sphagnum bogs, and powerlines. There’s a fine line between getting lost and not knowing exactly where you are! I also managed to scare up a covey of young ruffed grouse.
Blueberries collected for human consumption! We had blueberries on pancakes, blueberries in mixed fruit salad, and Linda made a blueberry pie as well.
Of course, we couldn’t go a whole week without picking and preserving some food! In addition to the berries we ate fresh and froze, we canned over 30 jars of these delectable little morsels!
one year ago…”Overnight in the BWCA in the Rain”
July 10, 2010 – Goat Milk Cheese (Chevre)
We have (finally) produced a cheese that makes excellent use of our goat milk. Here’s the culture as it looks after sitting for about 24 hours. The liquid is whey and the curd is the more solid, cheesy looking stuff. We fed the whey to the chickens.
This is what it looks like after the curd was allowed to hang in the fridge for a couple of days.
This makes the cheese more firm as the last of whey drips out. We found this to be delicious on crackers. Some we mixed with garlic and chives, another with dill, and a third we made with salt and pepper. These can be frozen too.
June 28, 2010 – Cherry Pie
Ya’ll saw the cherries a few days ago. Here is one of the finished products from blue-ribbon pie baker Linda.
She’s trying to pass pie-making down to children, but nobody quite has the knack yet. I think Martin may end up with the best chance to master it. Claire has been posting various Indian sweets on her blog, so I thought we’d fight back with the heavy artillery!
one year ago…”Pipestone National Monument”
