Archive for June, 2010

Organic Raspberry Bars

I’ve always loved Linzer torte cookies, the buttery, fruit-filled cookies, I had as a kid and these bars are very similar, and even easier to make.  I used organic raspberry preserves but you could use any flavor that you like. 

To toast the nuts, put them on a baking sheet in a 350° oven for 5 minutes. Check if they’re fragrant and lightly toasted, if not give them 2 more minutes. I chopped them in a small coffee grinder but you can knife/food processor chop them as well. They smell wonderful once they’re toasted.

I used a combination of evaporated cane juice and sucanat and I also used half organic whole-wheat flour and half organic unbleached flour. I will try this again with sprouted flour, but as I’ve not made the recipe before I decided to try it out this way first. They were wonderful!

Yields about 48 bars and they freeze well too.

13 oz. (I ½ cup plus 2 Tbs.) organic unsalted butter, room temperature

1-2/3 cup organic evaporated cane juice, rapudura or sucanat

2  organic, pastured eggs

1 lb. (3-3/4 cups) organic unbleached flour or organic whole-wheat flour or a combination of the two

7-1/2 oz. (1-1/2 cups) chopped, toasted organic hazelnuts

2 cups organic raspberry preserves

Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13-inch pan. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar (evaporated cane juice, etc) until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and mix just enough to incorporate. Add the nuts and mix a little longer until just blended.

Press about two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan. Spread with the raspberry preserves and then crumble the remaining dough on top. Bake for about an hour, until the top is lightly browned.

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-july-2nd/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/06/pennywise-platter-thursday-7.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/06/real-food-wednesday-63010.html

Read more, great Mouthwatering Monday posts here: http://asouthernfairytale.com/2010/07/26/peppermint-bark/

Organic New York Cheesecake

This is the first time I’ve ever made cheesecake. I had to try a NY style recipe as that’s where I’m from, and this was a true New York Cheesecake. Delicious and organic too! The original recipe I used did not mention a water bath so I didn’t use one. The cheesecake cracked but was still delicious. It’s even better after being in the refrigerator overnight.  To make a water bath you can put a tray of hot water on the shelf under the cheesecake. I will try that next time.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 7 Hours 30 Minutes

Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS:

15 organic graham crackers, crushed

2 tablespoons organic butter, melted

4 (8 ounce) packages organic cream cheese

1 1/2 cups organic sugar or evaporated cane juice

3/4 cup organic/raw milk

4 organic pastured eggs

1 cup organic Greek style yogurt or sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup all-purpose, organic flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.

3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in yogurt (or sour cream), vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.

  1. 4.Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking.
  2. 5.Chill in refrigerator until serving. Enjoy!

 

Read more, great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-june-25th/

Read more, great Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/06/pennywise-platter-thursday-624.html

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/06/real-food-wednesday-62310.html

Buying and Saving Seeds

I’ve been buying organic and heirloom seeds for a number of years now. I’ve also been learning to save seeds. As Monsanto continues to be allowed to patent seeds and life it makes it even more important to save seeds.

This year I had joined the Seed Savers Exchange as I read good thing about them in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable and Miracle book.  I will not join them ever again.  I read a letter from their original founder telling about the people who took over Seed Savers and threw him out of his own non-profit. They are putting every seed in their holding into a seed bank that supplies Monsanto and Syngenta. Basically they’re giving away all the seeds that the members have contributed in good faith to the corporations who are trying to own seeds for profit.

You can read about it here: http://beginningfarmers.org/seed-savers-exchange-the-new-real-story-including-intrigue-deception-the-doomsday-vault-excerpt-of-a-letter-from-its-founder/

So I wanted to share links from some places I’ve used and found that have organic and heirloom seeds.  All of these I’ve either used personally, or had recommendations from other who have used them.

Let’s support the companies who are working to keep our seeds organic and heirloom. There’s nothing better then fruit and veggies fresh from your own garden.

http://www.groworganic.com

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ 

http://rareseeds.com/

http://www.seedsofchange.com/

http://www.underwoodgardens.com/

http://www.heirloomseeds.com/

Here are some sites that teach about how to save your own seeds:

http://www.seedsave.org

http://www.virtualseeds.com/seedsaving.html

http://perrysperennials.info/articles/saveseeds.html

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/fs/fs220/

Read more great, Real Food Wednesday posts here:  http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/06/real-food-wednesday-61610.html

Read more great, Pennywise Platter Thursday posts here: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/06/pennywise-platter-thursday-6-17.html

Read more great, Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-june-18th/

GMO’s in the News

GMO’s in the news

I’ll be happy when the only articles about GMO’s are about how we USED to grow them, and they’ve been outlawed for safety concerns. Mom

UK: Food Standards Agency on Hot Seat over GMOs

by Suzanne Schreck | Jun 08, 2010

Two members of the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency steering group on genetically modified foods (GM foods, or GMOs) recently resigned from the group in protest over language inserted into a report from the agency strengthening the case for the growth of GMO crops and sales of GMOs in the UK. 

According to The Observer, emails between members of the Food Standards Agency group and the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which represents such businesses as Bayer and Monsanto, show the council inserted key sentences strengthening the case for GMOs that ended up in the final report, “Food Standards Agency work on changes in the market and the GM regulatory system.”

Dr. Helen Wallace, director of Genewatch UK, a scientific pressure group opposed to GMOs, left the steering group last month.  She told The Observer the emails, “expose how the Food Standards Agency is acting as a puppet of the GM industry by colluding with foreign GM companies to undermine people’s access to GM-free food supplies in Britain.” 

Professor Brian Wynne, an expert on public engagement with science and the group’s vice-chairman, resigned from the steering group last week.  He expressed concerns that the Food Standards Agency had adopted a pro-GMO attitude. 

UK Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has recently come under fire and is being called on to abandon a planned public consultation exercise on GMOs.  She formerly was a director at a food and biotechnology lobbying company, Spelman, Cormack and Associates, with her husband, Mark Spelman, and has been quoted saying she is in favor of GMOs “in the right circumstances.”

“The consultation-exercise has lost all credibility,” said Pete Riley, of pressure group GM Freeze.  “And it is clear that the Food Standards Agency should not be allowed anywhere near it–they clearly have a pro-GM agenda.

Read the rest here:

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/06/uk-food-standards-agency-on-hot-seat-over-gmos/

GMO Crop Takes Over Thousands of Acres in Germany

by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 06. 7.10

Food & Health

“The Biggest GM Crop Scandal in Germany to Date”

A genetically modified strain of maize classified as NK603 — one that is explicitly banned in the European Union — has been unleashed in Germany. The crop has been unwittingly planted on nearly 7,500 acres so far, and is continuing to spread. The source of the contamination has not yet been determined, but it is believed that it could cost farmers millions of euros to eradicate the tenacious GMO crop.

The contamination has spread across 7 different states in Germany, contaminating fields unbeknown to the farmers tilling the land. Such affected farmers will have no choice but to plow their fields prematurely. Greenpeace operations in Europe helped uncover the GMO’s spread.

Read more here:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/06/out-control-gmo-crop-spreads-across-thousands-acres-germany.php

And I hope it’s not this organized, but there’s some very interesting info in this one …

Food and Depopulation: Rockefeller Family

Cassandra Anderson

Infowars.com

June 8, 2010

Part 1 of 4.

The purpose of this article is to give a brief outline of how the elites, and the Rockefellers in particular, are using food as a weapon.

Since the Rockefeller family came to power (especially after gaining a monopoly with Standard Oil) they have manipulated our government into ruining our financial system by way of the Federal Reserve, energy through oil dependency and food with GMOs (Genetically Engineered Organisms).  The intention is to rob us blind and kill us.  It’s time to wake up.

The official name of this program is Agenda 21 Sustainable Development.

It the overarching blueprint for depopulation and total control over America and the rest of the world.  There is no question that Americans are targeted for depopulation: GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) food has saturated American farmlands. GMOs are dangerous and the proliferation of corn crops (used as sweetener, animal feed, processed food, etc) in America is shortening our life spans.(1)  Our water is polluted, containing over 60,000 chemicals, most of which have never been tested for safety.(2)  Our air is toxic, and the US is one of the most targeted areas for chemtrails.(3)  This is just the tip of the iceberg, the things we know about.  The focus of this article is revealing the link between the Rockefellers and their intended use of food as a weapon, which is more powerful than military domination and energy control.

Read the rest here:

http://www.prisonplanet.com/food-and-depopulation-rockefeller-family.html

Good for them!

Haitian Farmers Reject Monsanto Donation

by Michelle Greenhalgh | Jun 07, 2010

The Peasant Movement of Papay, a group of Haitian farmers, has committed to burning 60,000 seed sacks (475 tons) of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds donated by Monsanto in the wake of the devastating earthquake earlier this year.

Peasant Movement of Papay leader Chavannes Jean-Baptiste called Monsanto’s donation “a new earthquake” and called for a march to protest the corporation’s presence in Haiti for World Environment Day.

The National Peasant Movement of the Congress of Papay sent an open letter on May 14 signed by Jean-Baptiste.  The letter called Monsanto’s presence in Haiti, “a very strong attack on small agriculture, on farmers, on biodiversity, on Creole seeds…, and on what is left of our environment in Haiti.” 

In addition to MPNKP and MPP, other Haitian social movements have advocated in opposition to agribusiness imports of seeds and food.  The groups have expressed strong concern regarding the importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as they undermine local production of local seed stocks.

Haitian law does not prohibit the use of GMOs within the country, but the Ministry of Agriculture rejected Monsanto’s offer to donate Roundup Ready seeds.  As a result of these actions, a representative from Monsanto responded to the Ministry of Agriculture via email to assure that donated seeds would not be GMO.

Monsanto is internationally known for aggressively pushing its seed products, specifically GMO seeds.  The use of seeds also usually includes highly restrictive technology agreements between the company and farmers, who groups opposed to the use of GMOs claim are not always fully made aware of what they are signing.  GMO-opposed groups claim that by signing these agreements, small farmers are forced to buy Monsanto seeds each year under conditions they often find onerous and at high costs that they cannot afford.

Read the rest here:

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/06/haitian-farmers-burn-monsanto-hybrid-seeds/

Which brings us once again to the fact that we vote with our forks and the best way to stop the GMO food is not to buy it. Buy local and organic whenever possible. 

Locally grown best for eating

By Paul Walton, The Daily News June 8, 2010

Grocery shopping in Nanaimo may have never been this exciting.

With the news that Fairway Market is to move and Thrifty Foods will open a third store at the Brooks Landing location, what could be better?

Not just another grocer relocating in Harewood and building a whole new store, as I understand may happen in the next few years.

How about greater selection of locally produced food?

A trip down the aisles to any of the grocery stores in the city reveals row upon row of — there’s no other word for it — junk.

It’s time that Nanaimo residents started pushing for more locally produced food.

A commentator in the film Food Inc., following scene after scene of depressing visuals and facts about modern food production, makes the point that every time we go into a grocery store we are voting with our wallets as to what type of food we want to be available for us to buy.

Read the rest here:

http://www.canada.com/Locally+grown+best+eating/3126220/story.html

Read more great Fight Back Friday posts here: http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-june-11th/

Read more great Real Food Wednesday posts here:  http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/06/real-food-wednesday-6910.html

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