Archive for January, 2012
GMOs in the News
January 23rd, 2012
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Some interesting articles this week, from major news sources. Good to see! Mom
Grist investigation finds GMO-free bourbon is a rare spirit
By DEAN KUIPERS
Los Angeles Times
Posted in 
Honeybee deaths linked to seed insecticide exposure
Here’s just one more reason that it seems like GMOs are a problem. All the pesticides being used seem to be causing problems for all of us. Mom
Honeybee populations have been in serious decline for years, and Purdue University scientists may have identified one of the factors that cause bee deaths around agricultural fields.
Analyses of bees found dead in and around hives from several apiaries over two years in Indiana showed the presence of neonicotinoid insecticides, which are commonly used to coat corn and soybean seeds before planting. The research showed that those insecticides were present at high concentrations in waste talc that is exhausted from farm machinery during planting.
The insecticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam were also consistently found at low levels in soil – up to two years after treated seed was planted – on nearby dandelion flowers and in corn pollen gathered by the bees, according to the findings released in the journal PLoS One this month.
The Big GMO Cover-up
This is a great article by Jeffrey Smith from Urban Garden Magazine a few years ago. It’s even more relevant now with all the new approvals of GMO seeds. I have the beginning of the article below, follow the link at the bottom to read the rest. Mom
Something doesn’t quite add up about genetically modified (GM) foods.
Big biotech claims that genetic engineering is a necessary step towards feeding the world’s growing population. And yet debate still rages as to whether GM crops actually increase yields at all. Furthermore, the UN recently stated that 30,000 people a day were starving to death, but not because of underproduction of crops. It’s simply through lack of access.
Independent scientific studies raised serious alarm bells over the safety of GM foods over a decade ago. But while this made front-page headlines in European newspapers, the North American mainstream media were conspiratorially silent.
Homemade Applesauce
We’ve gotten a lot of wonderful apples in our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box the past month or so and no one was eating them. I’ve never made applesauce before and was surprised at how easy it was – and how delicious!
INGREDIENTS
3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered organic apples. (Cooking apples are best – we had a great selection of Granny Smith, Fuji, and Macintosh)
4 strips of organic lemon peel – use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths