Weeds Have A Place… On Your Plate?

“A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo courtesy CBS Sunday Morning

Growing up on a traditional farming operation, weeds were always the enemy. They were the pesky nuisances that were somehow able to survive and prosper in the most disturbed environments. Of course, they were always found entrenched in the most inconvenient place for the farmer, too – the field.

This is why I had the preconception that weeds were bad, bad, bad. Wrongo! Weeds are simply a plant out of place.

I recently took a weed science course in which I discovered that people… were eating…weeds. I was a little taken aback when I learned of this idea.

First, I was concerned about people eating poisonous weeds. (Note: I wasn’t the best at identifying weeds, I later learned through my ID quizzes in the course, so this would be a big concern for me as a weed-eater. Ha!)

Secondly, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that people ate weeds for enjoyment. It just seemed preposterous to me!

However, after watching a video my instructor showed during class (which can be found at 6:40 on this link, if you’d like to see for yourself), I quickly learned eating weeds is just like eating any other kind of grown plant or crop.

Weeds are actually a valuable food, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and protein!

A farmer sows his seed, nurtures it, watches it grow, and eventually harvests the plant. This is for weeds and crops alike.

It may not seem like a person who grows organic weeds for consumption is practicing agriculture, but they are.

Both parties grow food for consumption, whether it is growing it for themselves, selling it at a local farmer’s market, or selling it to an agricultural cooperative (also known as a farmers’ co-op) as a traditional farmer would. Another similarity I found was there are even edible-plant tours around Central Park in New York City, comparable to an agri-tour on a farm!

Though many farmers still don’t particularly enjoy weeds growing amongst their crops, I have learned they do have a place in our environment.

I can’t say my research or the video provided has changed my mind about eating weeds, but it has enlightened me on another form of agriculture.

If you are looking for more ways to spice up your meals and you are much braver than me, check out this link for a list of some edible weeds and ways to eat them!

Cheers,
Anissa

P.S. if you are going to eat weeds please make sure to wash them thoroughly before consumption, avoid chemically treated areas, and KNOW YOUR WEEDS!

Omnivore's Dillemma: Meat your Match!

A new documentary is making its way across the country.

American Meat ( an educational license of the documentary is available for purchase here) showcases the farmers' erspectives of the conventional versus organic debate.

Director, Graham Meriwether read The Omnivore's Dillemma in 2007 and began American Meat shortly after.

Meriwether has plans for an upcoming documentary called Farmers for America.


Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?

Tera
 

Chipotle - Back to the Start Rebuttal

I enjoyed reading this official comment on the recent Chipotle commercial that aired during the Grammy's. The gross misinformation presented in the video made a lot of agriculturists feel offended.

You can read the comment put out by the American Society of Animal Science here.

I think what I enjoyed most was the following direct quote -

“The world can afford for a few wealthy people to get pork and other animal products produced in outdoor extensive systems,” said Pettigrew. “But we cannot sustainably produce nearly enough for all the world’s people that way. Such systems require too much land and feed to be sustainable if applied across the industry.”

Sourcing food from places that Chipotle does is not wrong. It's a valid option to give consumers. However, I disagree with presenting it as a replacement for conventionally produced meat products. We have a lot of mouths to feed and we have to provide protein products for people who make $5 an hour AND for people who make $50 an hour. 

What are your thoughts?

Got home with organic bananas and I'm MAD!

On Tuesday I went shopping for a few necessities at the grocery store.

I like to shop systematically to keep me from wasting money on stuff I won't really eat. I start in the fresh produce where I picked up a bunch of very green bananas. I like it when they're green they last so much longer. Moved on to the dairy. Hit up the meat counter. You get the point.

When I was putting away my groceries, I noticed that my bananas had a sticker that said:

"CERTIFIED ORGANIC FRUIT"

I was ticked. I don't normally buy organic fruit and I have a few reasons why.

• I don't buy organic because I live in America and have so many choices for safe, wholesome and cheap food. I don't think that our food production system is perfect, but it's pretty darn good! I believe in the system that provides us with these choices, so I choose to support conventional production when possible.
• I don't buy organic because I know many farmers and producers personally and know that they care about the environment that our food is produced in. They have to be careful with everything that they are stewards for, from the air to the soil, water and produce.
• I don't buy organic because I know what pesticides are and they do what they say - control pests! Our government sets standards and controls for the use of pesticides in food production and the levels that are safe for even the youngest humans to consume! My dad is a farmer and he had to take a strenuous licensing exam in order to utilize pesticides on his farm.The person who advises him on pesticide decisions had to take about 10 of those exams.
• I don't buy organic because I understand the science behind it. When I see a recall or new labeling on food products I commonly purchase, I check it out from a reliable and scientific source. When dairy products boast they are produced from cows not treated with rBST, I know that BST is a naturally occurring protein hormone utilized in dairy production to increase milk production in cows so that more milk can be produced from the same number of cows. I also know that it's kind of sad that producers can't utilize this technology that helps keep milk prices lower for consumers because consumers demanded that it not be used anymore. I doubt many of the people who demanded that change in the industry knew that BST is species specific and does not change the hormone levels or affect growth in humans because it is a bovine hormone.
• I don't buy organic because I don't believe it is fair marketing. When people think organic they are thinking of small farms on the side of the road that are environmentally conscious and what not, right? A lot of organic produce is grown on huge corporate farms just like the conventional counterpart. When pests threaten to take over the crop, it is just transferred over to conventional practices and loses organic labeling rights. So it's basically the same thing, only pricier at times, so I don't choose to support it.

I was ticked about the bananas I got home with that were organic, but you'll notice that I didn't say I think organic food choices are wrong. Organic exists because people asked for it and that's what is so great about our food system in the US. YOU get to make the choice.


I have made mine and I have reasons why. Do you? Please feel free to share! I love to engage in dialogue about food choices and what drives people at the supermarket.

Best,

Tera

Do more than just read the label, know the facts!

A friend of mine sent this to me today. Thought it was a wonderful blog post and wanted to share it with all of you. It just goes to show that food labeling is worth a second thought and some research from a reliable source.

Enjoy!

http://www.prairiefarmer.com/blogs.aspx/an-encounter-at-the-meat-counter-2725

Tera

A cattlewoman's trip to the farmer's market

Growing up in Nebraska and attending college in Kansas... and then moving to Washington D.C. presents a study in contrasts. DC is split up into smaller districts within itself and through the magic of Craig's List I managed to accidentally find housing in the "hippy area" of Takoma Park. As you can imagine, there aren't many square-toed boots to be seen and Cinch shirts are unheard of, in fact, Tom's Shoes and tie-dye seems to have replaced them. I live with some really great people who are very, VERY removed from agriculture and they have found my animal science degree a fascination. My land-lady was amazed by how chicken eggs are produced and how fertilization occurs, she was also surprised to know that just because the eggs she buys at the farmer's market on Sundays for 5 dollars a dozen are organic, that doesn't mean the chickens are free-range. I attended the Takoma Farmer's Market yesterday and couldn't help but laugh a bit at the premium prices people were willing to pay for "hormone free" eggs. Nothing is "hormone free" if it comes from any kind of living organism... and additionally hormones are illegal to be fed to chickens (even though they would have zero benefit to growth or productivity). My roommates had told me that pretty much everything in the market was organic and that people were willing to pay the extra money for the perceived health benefits from consuming those foods, but after asking couple vendors I quickly found that only one of them was actually certified organic. For many of the smaller producers it is just too expensive to be certified so they advertise with words like "ecoganic" and "raised in an organic style." Either way, these are small, many times very young farmers who probably could not make it in the DC area using conventional farming methods. They have found an ingenious niche market among the urban, health savvy, green generation and they intend to develop their market share. In an age of incredible competition to maintain oneself on the right side of the bottom line there has been much discussion of Organic vs. Conventional. In reality there is plenty of room for both. There is no way that these small farmers who charge exorbitant prices can begin to feed billions of hungry people, but on a sunny Sunday afternoon they seem to be doing just fine catering to the wants of a specialized group of consumers. Through cooperation and mutual advocating conventional farming practices and organic methods can help to provide a career path for a new generation of agriculturalists interested in feeding the world.

Photo: www.takoma.com/green/market-thumb-500x332.jpg

Basil Blues

I love food, but I really love Italian food the most. This is a picture of me in front of the terraces of the Cinque Terre in Italy during my study abroad trip there. I enjoyed some of the best Italian food while on this trip and am counting the days until I can get back!


One of the spices that makes Italian food so yummy is basil! Consumers who might enjoy fresh basil in their Italian dishes might have a challenge finding it in the grocery store soon. A fungus is damaging the US basil crop.

Known more scientifically as, basil downy mildew, it causes spots and lesions on basil plants highly reducing the quality of the popular herb used in Italian dishes. Organic basil growers are going to be the hardest hit because of restrictions with fungicide use on certified organic farms. As much as one-fourth of the US basil crop is being damaged by this fungus.



Here are some interesting facts I found about Basil and it really gives an economic view of the impact basil downy mildew will have:

• Basil is the most commonly grown herb in the US.
• One acre of basil can be worth more than $10,000 an acre.
• Many basil farmers are considered potted basil growers meaning their crop is grown in pots.
• Basil fungus is sensitive to warmer temperatures and drying conditions.
• The most common variety of basil used in Italian cuisine, sweet basil, is the variety hardest hit by the fungus.
  

If there is a shortage of fresh basil in grocery stores near me, I guess I will have to revert to dried basil for any marinara sauces I make. For my favorite dish, pesto sauce, dried basil is no substitution!

All my best,

Tera Rooney

Tailgate Lectures: A New Language

“Simbaws! C’mon cows, simbaws! Tera run down by the windmill around that drawl and round up that last mamma!”

Working the cows with my family is always a fun experience. First off, it is always a big production, everyone gets involved, and we always had bets placed on the new words that would fly out of Grandpa’s mouth. Nobody really knows what the word, “simbaws” means or how to spell it for that matter, but my brother and I have a pretty good idea of what the “drawl” in our south pasture is. My grandpa’s language was definitely one of a kind!

Now, there is another language in production agriculture that can be pretty hard for consumers to understand. Walking down the meat aisle at the grocery store got me to thinking about how people are expected to understand what this food language really means. At least our meat choices aren’t labeled with words like, “simbaws” but some of them don’t seem any better!

These are some common labels found on meat products that are recognized and defined by the USDA. There is an Agricultural Marketing Service department of the USDA and they take care of this language:

NATURAL:

A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed. The label must also explain the use of this label. For example, if the product does not include added color that is what must be stated in the label.

NO HORMONES:

The term "no hormones administered" may be approved for use on the label of beef products if sufficient documentation is provided to the Agency by the producer showing no hormones have been used in raising the animals. This label cannot be used on pork or poultry products because the use of hormones are not allowed with those two species.

KOSHER:

"Kosher" may be used only on the labels of meat and poultry products prepared under Rabbinical supervision.

FREE RANGE or FREE ROAMING:

Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to an outside environment.

CHEMICAL FREE:

The term is not allowed to be used on a label.

ORGANIC:

This is a whole new blog topic! If you’d like to learn more about this program, please refer to these factsheets put out by the USDA. 

I would like to point out that while food is often placed in a category with these labels that explain different production practices, it does not change the nutritional value of the product. Organic beef is just as healthy as conventionally produced beef. Kosher poultry has no nutritional differences from free range poultry. If you ever have questions about food labels, the USDA is a great source of information.

 - Tera Rooney

The real food crisis

As Americans most of us are lucky to have food on our plates and disposable income left over to do with as we please. However, this isn’t the case in many places around the world where hunger and starvation are the reality. It amazes me that while obsessing about our own food choices (organic, natural etc.) is very in style, advocating for feeding the hungry around the world has somehow fallen out of fashion.

A recent Foreign Policy article titled “Attention Whole Foods Shoppers - Stop obsessing about arugula. Your ‘sustainable’ mantra -- organic, local, and slow -- is no recipe for saving the world's hungry millions” addresses this topic.

The article is written by Robert Paarlberg, B.F. Johnson professor of political science at Wellesley College, an associate at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and author of Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Here is one quote that spoke to me in particular:

“If we are going to get serious about solving global hunger, we need to de-romanticize our view of preindustrial food and farming. And that means learning to appreciate the modern, science-intensive, and highly capitalized agricultural system we've developed in the West. Without it, our food would be more expensive and less safe. In other words, a lot like the hunger-plagued rest of the world.”

Click here to read the whole article.

Reactions to Food, Inc.

I watched Food, Inc. for the first time this weekend. The movie makes lots of points – some valid and others very misleading.

The movie stresses the importance of safe, healthy food. This is something everyone can agree with. However, Food, Inc. makes it seem like conventionally produced foods are not safe. The fact is there is no food safety benefit to the organic options the movie promotes over conventionally produced food.

Food, Inc. is critical of cheap fast food and advocates for local and organic foods. I agree that Americans need to eat better. Eating a balanced variety of healthy fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains and dairy products is something most people could do a better job of. The movie blames obesity on the fact fast food, candy and soda are so cheap and cites income level is the biggest indicator of obesity. This is a real problem. However, organic food is not the solution.

Don’t get me wrong, farmers and ranchers will happily provide the food that people demand. If you prefer to buy organic, and can afford to pay the premium, I support that decision. However, recognize that conventionally-produced food is also a safe, healthy choice. Additionally, this is a much more affordable choice, making it a more realistic option for those who struggle to make ends meet. Conventional food production is also very efficient, which is an important consideration with a growing global population and less resources available to feed people with.

A final point that really bothered me was the movie’s theme that the agriculture industry is trying to hide how food is produced. I personally know many farmers and ranchers who spend their free time trying to reach out and connect with consumers. Check out the Ranch Family Blog or Advocates for Ag to get the food production story from those who know best, actual farmers and ranchers.