April 2008

GREETINGS

We did indeed, as predicted last month, do a tabling at Alverno College on March 18 for the Great American Meat-Out. As in the past, the traffic was not huge, but we had nice converstions with a number of people who did stop to talk. For those of you receiving this introductory issue of our newsletter because you signed up, welcome, and we hope to see you again at a potluck or other event.

Speaking of other events, we are scheduled to have a table at the Urban Ecology Center’s Earth Day event on Saturday, April 19, from noon to 4 PM. Jody Johnson will be there, but she will need some other people to help man that table: if last year’s experience is anything to go by, there will be a huge crowd, and I will not be able to make it, since that evening is the beginning of Passover and I’ll have a houseful of guests and be cooking up a storm for the seder. We know you care. So some of you need to call Jody at 414-764-7262,or show up at the potluck on Sunday, and volunteer to help. Please note that at this event we will be emphasizing the environmental impacts of meat-eating, and avoiding bringing forward the issues of horrendous treatment of animals in modern agriculture, as requested by the UEC in deference to the large numbers of small children who will be present.

M.A.R.V. ACTIVITIES

Sunday, Apr. 6, 5 PM, regular potluck at the Friends’ Meeting House, 3224 N. Gordon Pl. in Riverwest (from Humboldt Blvd., go east on Auer a few short blocks to the parking lot). Theme will be unusual greens and grains; as always, bring a dish that fits the theme or whatever else you want.

Subsequent regular potlucks will be on May 4, June 1, and probably July 6.

Other veg-friendly meetings

There will not be a macrobiotic potluck in April.

The Urban Ecology Center’s vegetarian potluck will be on Thursday, Apr. 17 at 6:30 PM at 1500 E. Park Pl. – bring plate and fork as well as a meatless dish. Phone (414) 964-8505 to confirm or get directions.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“It may be a speedy way to slim down, but the [meat-heavy] Atkins diet can also raise your cholesterol and harm your heart just as quickly.”

NEWS

Fallout continued from the scandal we reported last month regarding mistreatment of downer cattle at a California slaughterhouse. The Agriculture Dept. still wants to find ways to avoid banning all downer cattle from the food supply; the Humane Society (which broke the news on this particular scandal) has filed a lawsuit to protest the loophole that the USDA wants to leave. And a recent suggestion in Congress that the government should install video cameras in all slaughterhouses was protested by the Humane Farming Association and the Animal Welfare Institute on the grounds that actual human inspectors, not mere video cameras, are what’s needed. Meanwhile, Canada reported finding its 13^th case of mad cow disease.

In another follow-up on last month’s news, the mysterious neurological disease that struck workers who processed pig brains at a Minnesota slaughterhouse has now also shown up in workers processing pig brains in Indiana and Nebraska.

Other bad news involves Pacific salmon fisheries. Off the U.S. Pacific coast, from Oregon down to Mexico, there are so few Chinook salmon that no fishing for them will be allowed this year. A combination of abnormal ocean conditions, and increasing water draws from the Sacramento River for the purpose of irrigation, may be the cause. Meanwhile, in Chile, the salmon are dying by the millions of a disease believed to have been fostered in oceanic fish farms, threatening the salmon-export business which is Chile’s third largest industry. Is it time to suggest that people stop eating fish now?

In water issues, the British government will no longer serve bottled water at meetings; due to growing awareness of the environmental problems of bottled water, they will now use tap water only. And an item in the NY Times Science section reported on a study which pointed out that if we switch from gasoline to electric and hybrid engines for cars to any large extent, so much more water would be used by electric plants that it could have severe effects in areas where water is scarce. On a different note, a Prevention article on flavored waters found that, while all help with hydration, some have additional unfortunate ingredients as well. The article suggested avoiding sugar and artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, and preservatives, and being wary of health claims.

As noted in our Quote above, University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers compared the effects on arteries and cholesterol of the meat-heavy Atkins diet, the near-vegan Ornish diet, and the South Beach diet which falls in the middle ground between those two. Is it any surprise that people on the Atkins diet got worse, while the South Beach diet showed slight improvement and the Ornish diet subjects showed marked improvement?

Alas, not all bad food news is about animal foods (just most of it). Cantaloupes from Honduras have been recalled due to salmonella contamination which caused illnesses in 16 states, including Wisconsin. (Of course, if you’re eating seasonally, you would not have bought cantaloupes in March…)

And some stuff you couldn’t make up. Apparently, Portland, Oregon has enough vegetarians and also enough strip clubs that someone decided to combine the two and open a vegetarian/vegan-friendly strip club. Young feminists, who are also in plentiful supply in the area, are not happy…

Meanwhile, as always, there is much good news about plant-based diets. The Outpost Exchange ran an article re-emphasizing that a vegetarian diet can be perfectly nutritionally adequate, and detailing what foods vegetarians can eat to get protein, iron, and calcium from; B-12 supplementation is recommended for vegans. Protein of course is available from nuts, seeds, beans and peas, soy foods, and eggs and dairy if you eat them; calcium sources (besides dairy) include calcium-fortified orange juice and milk substitutes, tofu, leafy green vegetables, baked beans, almonds, almond butter, and figs; and iron is found in beans, dark green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, blackstrap molasses, and whole grains.

A different article discussed those friendly bacteria that help keep our digestion normal, suppress bad bacteria in the gut, and even help immune system function. Fermented food products that may contain live probiotics (read the labels) were listed: kefir, coconut kefir, fermented coconut milk, yogurt, sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables, pickles, kimchi, cultured buttermilk and cottage cheese, miso, tempeh, and raw apple cider vinegar.

Edible seaweeds were also the subject of an article. They tend to be high in antioxidents, iodine, B vitamins, and important trace elements. Adding kombu to beans when cooking them increases digestibility while shortening cooking time. And sea vegetables’ alginate can help remove heavy metals from the body, reduce blood pressure, and shrink tumors in lab tests. Add them to bean dishes and soups.

An article on using food to get oneself going into Spring also emphasized plant foods. Lack of B vitamins and magnesium can leave one with low energy. Foods to provide magnesium include almonds and other nuts, leafy green vegetables, molasses, soybeans, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and young dandelion leaves. B vitamins are found in whole grains, sunflower seeds, nuts, legumes, potatoes, mushrooms, soybeans, citrus fruits, molasses, spinach, cauliflower, dandelion, and parsley. Plenty of fresh/raw fruits and vegetables are recommended for increasing energy and supplying disease-fighting antioxidents. And I read two different reports pointing out that fruits eaten at the peak of ripeness contain the most goodies as far as antioxidents go.

Speaking of antioxidents, there is still much buzz regarding so-called super foods: edibles that are claimed to have extremely high amounts of them. An E Magazine article focussed on them, mentioning dried Goji berries, Yerba mate tea, hemp seed oil and other hemp seed foods (providing good omega-3 fatty acids and, in the seeds, high protein levels). But on the other hand, an Outpost Exchange article warned that despite the hype about super foods, in many cases the food industry has used their reputation to sell products that also contain unhealthy amounts of sugar, saturated fat, and salt, and that one is in fact best off simply eating a good wide variety of whole foods and produce.

CONNECTIONS

For anyone whose interest in vegetarianism includes an interest in how animals are treated, the annual DNR vote on Fish, Wildlife, and Habitat Issues will take place on Monday, April 14 at 7 PM. Milwaukee County residents can vote at Greenfield High School Auditorium, 4800 S. 60^th St., Greenfield; phone 414-263-8500 for the site if you live in any other county. One of the delegates up for renewal is our own Barb Eisenberg; there are also various issues of significance. For further information, call Barb at 414-372-5785.

It’s CSA time again. Community Supported Agriculture is a scheme in which people subscribe to a local farm by paying about $500 early in the season, and then (usually) they receive a box of fresh, local, organic produce once a week for about 20 to 25 weeks, at a pick-up site convenient to their homes. It’s a great way to eat more locally and seasonally, while keeping a local family farmer in business, and very good value for the money. Subscribing to a CSA does mean adapting your cuisine to whatever is ripe that week; on the other hand, figuring out what to do with what’s in the box can greatly expand your culinary repertoire.

Contact this year’s Wisconsin CSAs to see which of them still has openings. They are:

Afterglow Farm, Steve and Sandy Sandlin, 262-285-7910, afterglowfarm@earthlink.net

Backyard Bounty, Laura Comerford, W4873 County Rd. U, Plymouth, WI 53073, 920-892-4319, ljcomerford@hotmail.com

Full Harvest Farm, Chuck Frase and Terry Vlossak, 7112 County Rd. S, Hartford, WI 53027, 262-673-6760, fullharvestfarm@yahoo.com

Future Fruit Farm, Bob, Ellen, and Selena Lane, 5363 Knobs Rd., Ridgeway, WI 53582, 608-924-1012, futurefruitfarm@hotmail.com

Apples and pears from mid-August to January

JenEhr Family Farm, Kay Jensen and Paul Ehrhardt, 6837 Elder Lane, Sun Prairie, WI 53590, 608-825-9531, jenehr@aol.com

www.wisconsingrown.com

LotFotL Community Farm, Tim Huth, W2485 County Rd. ES, East Troy, WI 53120,

tim@lotfotl.com, www.myspace.com/lotfotl

Pinehold Gardens, David Kozlowski and Sandra Raduenz, 1807 E. Elm Rd., Oak Creek, WI 53154, 414-762-1301, info@pineholdgardens.com

Rare Earth Farm, Steve Young and Debra Jo Becker, 6806 Hwy KW, Belgium, WI 53004, 262-285-7070, rareearthfarm@verizon.net, www.rareearthfarm.com

Springdale Farm, Peter and Bernadette Seely, W7065 Silver Spring Lane, Plymouth, WI 53073, 920-892-4856, springdalefarm@excel.net

Tipi Produce, Beth Kazmar and Steve Pincus, 14706 W. Ahara Rd., Evansville, WI 53536, 608-882-6196, tipi@ticon.net, www.localharvest.org/farms/M4077