H.R. 3555…send an e-mail to your Rep

Posted on 2 March 2012 by

On 27 February 2012, I wrote Occupy Your Food Supply by Supporting H.R. 3553, H.R. 3554. and H.R. 3555 asking you to contact your Representative in D.C. to support these bills sponsored by Dennis Kucinich (Ohio).  Today I received an e-mail from the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) asking for us to contact our Reps in regards to H.R. 3555.

Stop Monsanto’s Harassment of Non-GMO Farmers! Support the Farmer Protection Act!

The form is simple and goes directly to your Rep.  I have further contacted the OCA asking them to do the same for bills H.R. 3553 and H.R. 3554.  I am asking you to do the same.

This is a simple and direct action that everyone online can do.  Please empower yourself and our children.  Fight for our food supply, farmers, and health.

Thank you.

Posted in ethical eating, farming, food, Food Actions, Food Justice, Food Safety, GMO, industrial food, National Issues, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens, Occupy Our Food Supply, Occupy Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Occupy Your Food Supply by Supporting H.R. 3553, H.R. 3554. and H.R. 3555

Posted on 27 February 2012 by

Today, February 27, 2012, is a day of global action to Occupy Your Food Supply.  If you are wondering why this call for action has errupted, Willie Nelson and Anna Lappe recently published in Huff Post Food:

Why We Must Occupy Our Food Supply

The call to Occupy our Food Supply…is being echoed by prominent thought leaders, authors, farmers and activists including the Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva, Food Inc.’s Robert Kenner, and authors Michael Pollan, Raj Patel, Gary Paul Nabhan, and Marion Nestle, among others.

Here is something simple you can do:  Support these bills sponsored by Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

H.R. 3553: Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act

H.R. 3554: Genetically Engineered Safety Act

H.R. 3555: Genetically Engineered Technology Farmer Protection Act

Send a letter to your Representatives in Washington D.C. telling them that you support these bills.

If you are reading this message, you are using a computer.  This is a simple and easy action that you can do right now from your computer that can make a difference in our food supply.

Posted in Earth, environment, ethical eating, events, farming, food, Food Actions, Food Justice, Food Safety, Gardening, GMO, industrial food, local food, National Issues, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens, Occupy Our Food Supply, Occupy Wall Street, Urban Farming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Vegetable Seeds & Varities Owned by Monsanto

Posted on 27 February 2012 by

If you follow me, you know that I wrote a piece entitled Heirloom vs. Hybrid and GMO…What’s the difference? And why should I care? which includes a list of seed companies owned by Monsanto that you may want to avoid if you care about the power of your dollar and the health of your family.

I received a link to an article that takes seeds to a whole new level.  We have seen the list of companies to avoid, but this article gives a breakdown of veggies by name. Of course, it is always best to buy heirloom and save your own seed, but if you are unable, at least you can be informed.

Forewarned is Forearmed: Veggies Owned by Monsanto by Kevin Lee Jacobs; A Garden for the House.

Happy Gardening.

Posted in Earth, environment, ethical eating, farming, food, Food Justice, Food Safety, Gardening, GMO, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens, Occupy Wall Street, Regenerative Gardening, Seeds, Urban Farming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Homemade Granola Bars

Posted on 16 February 2012 by

For too many years to count, I have wanted to make homemade granola and energy bars. Back in rock climbing days when Cliff Bars emerged, they were my favorite lunch of choice. Buying packaged bars can put a pinch in the wallet though. As the years passed, and I forgot about making my own bars.

While doing some research on GMO foods, I found a list of foods known to contain GMO and genetically engineered (GE) ingredients.  I’m a pretty good reader of ingredient labels. I didn’t think about the soy lecithin listed on the label, but it put the granola bars that I purchas(ed ) on that list.  Some folks have heard the story of how I began gardening: When I witnessed my (then) year old son picking and eating fresh snow peas from the vine, I knew that I needed to grow food for him in order to provide the best, healthiest, and freshest food possible.  I admit that I get lazy at times, especially when it comes to having quick snacks for lunches or for after school, but with my epiphany of GMO ingredients, soy lecithin was not an acceptable alternative.  Two days ago, I received some homemade granola bars as a parting gift for a presentation, and they were delicious. (So, if you are reading Carolyn, “Thank you!”)  While greedily chomping on those bars, I had another epiphany and thought, “Why am I not doing this?”

Well, I did it today.  I looked at several recipes, but I liked the one at Joyful Abode because it contains no corn syrup, eggs, or baking soda.  I had most of the ingredients laying around the house.  The ingredients that I didn’t have enough of or didn’t even have, I rounded up ingredients that were similar.  For example, the recipe called for a cup of peanuts and 3/4 cup sunflower seeds, neither of which graced my food shelf.  I did have a collection of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and walnuts. I mashed up the big seeds in my handy Black and Decker food chopper (one of my favorite kitchen gadgets and one of the few that has made it through two moves with me) to chop the nuts.  The recipe called for 8oz of dried fruit, so I put together a mixture of raisins, dates, and cherries because I had not enough of one type of dried fruit.  I made my own brown sugar with my handy chopper by using fair trade sugar and organic molasses.  I had all the other ingredients in my pantry most of which I purchased in bulk from our local food cooperative. I also used vanilla extract that I made myself. 

I got 16 very large granola bars, and they taste fantastic.  Not only are they made with ingredients that I know are good, but they probably have less sugar and more fiber.  Even if they have an equal amount of sugar, I know the sugar (cane sugar, molasses, & honey) comes from good sources.

The reason I write about these homemade granola bars is that I see my kitchen as a way to practice activism.  The more I do for myself and family in my kitchen, the less my money supports a food industry with poor operating procedures that uses unhealthful products gained from poor agricultural practices that harm our Earth and the humans of this planet.  I encourage you to become your own kitchen warrior.

Posted in food, Food Justice, Food Safety, industrial food, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens, Occupy Wall Street, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Days of Action: Occupy Your Food

Posted on 8 February 2012 by

In response to the growing food movement as well as the growing concern about GM and GE foods, a few actions are happening this Spring. Besides writing your reps in DC to let them know what you think about labeling GM and GE food, you may look to lead, participate, and/or join one of the actions this Spring.

F27: Global Day of Action to Occupy the Food Supply

PURPOSE: F27 will be the Global Day of Action to ‘Occupy Our Food Supply’ on F27. United, our food movements can reach a scale required to challenge the corporate food regime that has prioritized profit over health and sustainability and reclaim our food supply by continuing to create and support local food systems that practice fair and ecological principles. Lets work on how to strengthen the Food Justice infrastructure and spirit!

There is an inter-conference call scheduled for 2/9/12 @ 7pm EST / 4pm PST sponsored by InterOccupy. You can register HERE.

And it looks like this video posted on 5 February 2012 calling for action on M31 and A1 (April Fool’s Day):

- Operation Seed Bomb- #OpSeedBomb – Anonymous-

 

More information about the Bills in Congress to label GM and GE foods:

Representative Dennis Kucinich has introduced three bills; H.R. 3553: Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act, H.R. 3554: Genetically Engineered Safety Act, and H.R. 3555: Genetically Engineered Technology Farmer Protection Act, all of which would make life a lot easier for folks who are trying to stay GMO and GE free.

Posted in community, Earth, environment, ethical eating, farming, food, Food Actions, Food Justice, Food Safety, GMO, guerilla gardening, industrial food, local food, Local Issues, National Issues, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens, Occupy Wall Street, Tribe, Urban Farming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Foods Known to Contain GMO and Genetically Engineered (GE) Ingredients

Posted on 2 February 2012 by

I recently wrote an article entitled Heirloom vs. Hybrid and GMO…What’s the difference? And why should I care?, and maybe because gardening season is lurking or maybe because people are becoming more aware of the importance of healthful food, but suddenly the internet is exploding with more information than ever about GMO and GE foods.

As I continue to educate myself on the dangers of GMO and GE foods, especially how GMO and GE foods can affect children and our health, I become more astonished, bewildered, and blown away by what is happening in our food system.

Occupy Maui held a week long action against Monsanto during the last week of January 2012, and in that week, many of the sub-Occupy groups (Occupy Gardens, Occupy the Food System, Occupy Monsanto, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens Knoxville, and Exposing Monsanto) posted fantastic articles and videos about the dangers of GMO and GE foods.  One of the best things to come out of that week of action was a list of foods to avoid that can be printed and circulated.

Foods known to contain GMO and Genetically Engineered Ingredients  (Original source for this list: http://opposingdigits.com/forums/post-62.html)

I am not the author of this list and by no means do I think this is a complete list, but I think this list provides an excellent introduction to foods that contain harmful substances.  I reworked the list to make it easier to read.  You can simply use ‘Control C’ to copy the list and paste it into your favorite document format.  You can then print the list and take it with you whenever grocery shopping or circulate it at meetings, work, school, school board, etc.  It’s important to get the word out to stop buying these foods to protect ourselves and our children.

The important ingredients to look for when shopping are any corn and soy products that aren’t organic…this includes corn syrup, corn oils, soy oils, etc.  There are many other products and many other names used that I am unfamiliar with, so you may want to make a copy of this: Corn Allergen List.  Educate yourself as to what ingredients really are.  If you can’t say it (the ingredient) chances are that you don’t want to consume it.

Foods known to contain GMO and Genetically Engineered Ingredients  (Original source for this list: http://opposingdigits.com/forums/post-62.html)

Right now, it is not mandatory for food companies to label foods that contain GMO and GE ingredients.  The other thing you can do is write your reps in DC and demand that foods containing GMO and GE ingredients be labeled as such.  Representative Dennis Kucinich has introduced three bills; H.R. 3553: Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act, H.R. 3554: Genetically Engineered Safety Act, and H.R. 3555: Genetically Engineered Technology Farmer Protection Act, all of which would make life a lot easier for folks who are trying to stay GMO and GE free. Natural News wrote an easy to understand article last year on the issue and the bills.  There are also all kinds of online petitions in the internet that you can sign. (Organic It’s Worth It, Millions Against Monsanto, Food Democracy Now! Just a few.)

And here is an excellent video on the subject…

**UPDATE**  Another fantastic blog, A Little Bit of Green, helping us to identify GMO foods: 7 GMO Products I Bet You Are Still Using

**UPDATE**  Forewarned is Forearmed: Veggies Owned by Monsanto by A Garden for the House (blog).

Make sure to take a minute to read about the catering company who operates the cafeteria at a Monsanto’s pharmaceuticals factory at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire that serves only GM-free meals.

Posted in cancer, Earth, environment, food, Food Safety, GMO, industrial food, National Issues, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens, round-up | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Buttermilk Challenge

Posted on 18 January 2012 by

I first met Colleen Cruz at the Ramsey House Plantation during a fall festival about seven or eight years ago.  Colleen was the ripe ole’ age of 16.  She stood behind a table with large sunflowers in a tall ball mason jar selling her now locally famous ice cream.  Her radiant skin and thick healthy hair gleamed as the brilliant blue autumn sky and the golden hues of the leaves and fields served as a mere backdrop to her joyous light.  I thought, “My god!  That is the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen!”  From that moment on, I decided that if Cruz milk nourished that beautiful girl, that it would also nourish my son, Blue.

We drink Cruz whole milk 99.9% of the time.  I only buy some other brand of organic milk when Cruz milk is sold out.  Blue always knows the difference, and milk by any other dairy operation will sit in the fridge for longer than I care to admit.  I’m not one to waste money or resources, so when I can’t get Cruz milk, we often go without milk till Colleen can stock the shelves again.

I usually buy Cruz milk at either The Market in Maryville or Three Rivers Market in Knoxville simply because those are two places that I frequently buy food, but a quick stop  at The Market on Sunday, as well as, Three Rivers on Tuesday, left me empty handed.  I’m a very loyal customer and rarely shop other places, but desperate times call for desperate measures…We need Cruz milk!

I went to Colleen’s website today to find other locations in Knoxville to buy Cruz milk.  In doing so, I found out that Colleen was recently at the Chicago Food Film Festival where a short film about her dad and his passion for buttermilk won the Jarlsberg Best Short Film Award!  The film, entitled, Buttermilk: It Can Help was directed and produced by Joe York 3 years ago.

In the film, Mr. Cruz isn’t shy about his firm belief in the health benefits of buttermilk.  He says that 8oz of buttermilk a day can change your life.  I’m going to give it a try.  Beginning today, I am going to consume 8oz of Cruz buttermilk, which is delicious by the way, each day for one month.  The month ends on my 44th birthday, Feb 18th, when I’ll report back my findings.

Many of you might be cringing at the idea of drinking buttermilk, but I’m telling you right now that buttermilk is some good stuff…of course, though, I am a little spoiled ’cause I get to drink Cruz buttermilk, which is the best in the south, if not the entire nation.

Buttermilk: It Can Help is a great short film, and you need to take 13 minutes to enjoy it.

Eat well.  Grow your own food, and when you can’t, buy local.  #occupyfood #occupygardens #buylocal

Posted in ethical eating, farming, local food, Occupy Food, Occupy Gardens | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments