The Milk Moon

After reading the Milk Moon chapter in Jessica Prentice's book Full Moon Feast , I felt compelled to swear off pasteurized milk so I began doing more research to find out if I could actually find a source of non-pasteurized milk, i.e. raw milk. The deeper I dug, though, the more hesitant I became. There is a lot of controversy swirling around the safety of raw milk. Yet in the 1920s in this country raw milk was readily available and consumed. What changed?

The industrialization of the milk industry led to increased overcrowding and unclean conditions which in turn led to a need for pasteurization. In the pasteurization process, Dr. Mercola explains, the delicate good proteins in milk are changed into not so good proteins that are thought to cause things like allergies and asthma (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoPiNASGeWo&feature=related). Even lactose intolerance is thought to be caused by over pasteurization. Jessica Prentice tells us that in pasteurization “lactase, the enzyme naturally occurring in milk that digests lactose, is destroyed but not the lactose.”

In building a case for raw milk, Jessica Prentice also cites a number of studies that have shown certain cultures known for their robust health as cultures where they have access to and drink lots of raw milk. The emphasis in these societies has been on quality not quantity of milk. In our culture there has been a “minimum of emphasis on the health of cows and the nutritional quality of milk and a maximum on quantity of milk at the lowest cost production.” This has essentially left us with miserable cows and over processed milk.

While there are convincing arguments in favor of raw milk, personally I need to do more research before I’m comfortable fully committing myself. For the moment, I am sticking with organic milk which I hope (although I'm not confident) ensures that I will not be supporting inhumane farming practices.

And if I change my mind, I know that I do have a choice. California is one of the states where raw milk is legal and I could buy it conveniently in a grocer. If you want to find out if raw milk is legal in your state and/or where to find it, Campaign for Real Milk (www.realmilk.com) is an excellent resource.

Paul, my partner on this project, is much less hesitant than I am about raw milk. In fact, he is in the process of buying two goats. I’m looking forward to hearing about his raw milk experiences.

I am adding one recipe from the Milk Moon chapter to our reception menu:

Creamy Salad Dressing, pg. 94
(crème fraiche, egg yolk, olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper)

Full Moon Feast

Oddly there can be a certain beauty in being trapped inside a construction project. It can force you to complete tasks that you would otherwise find all sorts of distracting reasons to avoid. In my case, I have faced the onerous task of unpacking boxes without any escape. My office in fact is almost fully re-established. And in the process, I have unearthed a useful book I forgot I had ordered prior to the move. It is called Full Moon Feast, Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice (http://www.wisefoodways.com/moons/).

Full Moon Feast, as you might surmise, is organized around the cycles of the moon. According to Deborah Madison’s introduction, “The moons in the title refer to food times, times of the year when certain foods assume prominence, and they make perfect sense, if you can imagine – and with the author’s help, you can – a world in which human cultures are exactly in tune with the places they occupy on the planet.” To find seasonal recipes that correspond to the April/May timeframe, I consulted the chapters in her book that related to Egg Moon (early spring) and Milk Moon (falls near May day).

Jessica Prentice tells us that during the Egg Moon hens start producing more eggs on old-fashioned farms. The longer days provide more light, and light is what hormonally stimulates the hens ovaries to produce. In factory farming, they use artificial lighting to trick the hens bodies into non-stop egg production – not what mother nature had in mind.

If you are not aware of the methods used in egg factory farming, you may want to read up on it (http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/eggs/). In the past I have bought only cage free/range free eggs. However, after reading this book, I now know that just because my eggs are labeled cage-free/free range, my idea of what that means and the corresponding organic standards may not mesh. I now realize it is best to buy your eggs from a small farmer who practices free-range agriculture or to trade with a friend who raises hens like Paul (see his blog entry dated March 23). Or, of course, as Paul recommends, raise your own.

Jessica offers a few recipes in each Moon chapter. From the Egg Moon chapter, I have selected the Avocado and Hard-cooked Eggs with a Lemony Dressing, page 69, as a possibility for our menu. The ingredients include eggs, olive oil, mustard, lemon, avocadoes, salt and pepper, and lettuce.

Another promising recipe is the Asparagus Frittata, page 66. The ingredients include asparagus, leeks, butter, eggs, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cheese. The idea of a frittata was also recommended by Sally Weare, an eco-artist and member of WEAD (http://www.weadartists.org/weare/weare.html). She sent us an email with the following two suggestions:

I just want to add 2 ideas into the mix:

one is a frittata --usually made with eggs, zucchini or broccoli, possibly cheese, herbs. Recipes vary and zucchini may not be available until June or July, but other veggies can be used, and it can be made in a large quantity and cut into squares--easy and tasty to eat!

two is a Thai starter (can't remember the name): lettuce or spinach leaves, individually filled (or can be filled by each individual out of a common bowl) with a combination of interesting things, such as marinated mushrooms, shredded carrots, garlic, walnuts? and something crunchy.

They both sound delicious! Thanks Sally.

That’s all for today. I’ll next be exploring what Jessica has to say about the Milk Moon.

Ingredient - Eggs

Bottom Line....Store bought eggs suck! Before having chickens, I would normally buy organic free-range eggs. These are "better" than the larger commercial factories. If you have to buy eggs, then get them from a farmer's market. Talk to the farmer about how their chickens live. If they can tell you an interesting story, then most likely their eggs are decent.

Luckily, I haven't had to buy an egg in a few months. I bought my chicks last summer and the last of my four chickens started laying on good friday. She's a polish girl and her eggs turned out to be off white with just a hint of pink. So now I have white, brown, green, and pink eggs. I don't even need to dye eggs this easter!

If you've never tried a true organic free-range egg, you need to now! Find a farmer, a friend with chickens or email me if local. You'll never feel the same way about store bought eggs again. These eggs are a deep orange, the yolks stand tall on top of the whites, and the shells are thick. These are proud eggs. And I know from which one of my chickens each egg came from. When making breakfast I can thank that chicken who produced it for me. Now that's local!
Anyways, Egg choices can be quite confusing. I recommend people check out Mother Earth News' Egg Page
http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx Their tests show that free range eggs have 1/3rd less cholesterol than normal.

And if you want to start keeping chickens. Most cities in the bay area allow them. No roosters though. And if you think you don't have enough space just remember that anything you give the hen will be larger than a commercial cage. A good place to start research is www.backyardchickens.com

Unearthing Recipes

My recipe research has gone on a bit of a hiatus since yesterday. The decibel of clanging dueling hammers sent me packing. I have now braved re-entry and am back, ensconced in my seat in the office, trying to ignore the absolutely gorgeous weather knocking at the window, at least momentarily. Where are those ear plugs?

I am thinking pleasant thoughts about organic local foods. After thumbing through several cookbooks, I concluded that the raw food cookbooks held the most promise. However, it has been surprisingly difficult to find recipes that can be fully sourced within our radius. Will we be able to find staples such as salt, pepper, baking powder?

Actually the whole salt issue is quite interesting. Those beautiful patterns you see from the plane flying into San Francisco are the salt evaporation ponds near Mountain View. I always photograph them, every trip without fail.

Oddly though, the salt is not available to us. It is only available for industrial use. I discovered this after reading an article in the Times www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1595245,00.html. The author mentions Café 150, a restaurant on the Google campus that sources all of their food within a 150 mile radius (or at least attempts to do so). Even Cafe 150 finds salt a bit of a problem and they are only ¼ mile away from the salt flats. To supplement their pantry, the Café staff grow their own food, can, and preserve all year round. Impressive.

Back from the salt detour and now onto the recipes that may be possibilities. This is what I’ve uncovered so far:

From Everyday Greens by Annie Somerville (Greens restaurant here in SF)

Grilled Asparagus, page 14
(asparagus, salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil)

Garlic Toasts with Fava Bean Puree, page 20
(fava beans, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, baguette)

From Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat favorites by the Moosewood collective (in fabulous Ithaca, NY)

Greek Spinach Rice Balls, page 35
(spinach, scallions, olive oil, brown rice, dill, lemon juice, pepper, bread crumbs)

From Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen (a great raw food reference)

Baby Vegetables and Zingy Orange Dressing, page 481
(oranges, olive oil, honey, sea salt)

From Food and Wine online:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/caramelized-onion-tart-with-whole-wheat-crust

Carmelized Onion Tart with whole wheat crust

(flour, salt, butter, water, olive oil, onions, thyme, pepper, bleu cheese)

From Vegetarian Times online:

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9870?section=

Strawberries with lemony whipped topping

(tofu, honey, lemon juice, vanilla, strawberries)

Is there a local source of tofu? Vanilla?

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9363?section=

Strawberry Rhubarb crumble squares

(orange juice, rhubarb, cornstarch, strawberries, sugar, orange zest, rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, slivered almonds, orange juice, vegetable oil) – this one might be a stretch as far as ingredients, sadly.

I’m not sure all of these will work, but they just sound so delicious I thought they would be worth investigating further. Are you getting hungry yet???? I’m still searching and hope that you are too. I’d love to receive recommendations on other possibilities.

Seasonal Ingredients

After consulting both the CUESA seasonality charts and the Local Foods Wheel, I’ve compiled the following list of potential ingredients. As noted though on the Wheel “nature is unpredictable and every year is different. An especially rainy spring or an extraordinarily hot and dry summer can have a dramatic impact on planting and harvest times on local farms”. With this in mind, I’m now off to peruse a stack of cookbooks, online resources, and ask friends about recipe ideas that meet the following critieria:

1) Vegetarian
2) Finger Food (we would like to avoid dishes and cutlery)
3) Moderate to low expense (our budget will be rather limited)

If you have any suggestions, please let us know!

VEGETABLE

Artichokes, Arugula, Asian Greens, Asparagus, Avocados
Baby Vegetables, Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli
Cabbage, Cardoons, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collard Greens
Dandelion/Chicory, Dried Chilies
Endive
Fava Beans, Fennel
Garlic, Green Garlic, Garlic Scapes
Herbs, Horseradish
Jams, Marmalade
Kale, Kohirabi
Leeks, Lettuce, Lemon grass
Mushrooms (morels), Mustard Greens)
Nettles, Nopal Cactus
Onions
Peas, Pickled Vegetables, Potatoes, Purslane
Radicchio, Radish, Rapini, Rhubarb
Scallions, Snow Peas, Sorrel, Spinach, Sprouts
Watercress, Wheat

FRUIT/NUT

Cherimoyas, Cherries, Cider and Juices
Dried Fruit
Grapefruit
Lemons
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Walnuts, Wine

CHEESE AND OTHER

Almond Butter
Cow’s Milk Butter (spring pasture butter), Cream
Eggs
Fresh and Aged Cheese from Goat Milk and Cows Milk
Goats Milk Yogurt
Honey
Milk
Olive Oil
Rice
Vinegars – Balsamic, apple, cider
Walnut Oil

Step One - Research the availability of seasonal ingredients

My local farmers market (until recently) was at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It is a huge market where there is an overwhelming abundance of fresh, lovely, lively, organic food available year round. When Paul and I embarked on this experiment, I wondered if indeed we had actually set up enough of a challenge for ourselves. I thought the food choices and recipes might not be dramatically different from my current lifestyle.

Okay, now let’s talk delusion. What I did not consider is that although I buy organic food, the choices I was making were not necessarily seasonal, nor carbon-wise (i.e. the food traveled quite a distance to reach my local food supplier). I also realized I had been sleepwalking through my food shopping in a disconnected way from the natural rhythms and cycles of nature. For example, if you ask me when artichokes are in season, my grandmother could tell you but I can’t. I simply let what is available at the market direct me to my next meal. This can work on a week by week basis, but is a bit happenstance if you are attempting to plan for a future event.

With these three dimensions in mind: 1) organic 2) seasonal and 3) local, within a 100 mile-radius, I embarked on Step One of The Plan.

The first resource I found did not even require leaving my desk. Four seasonality charts at the CUESA website (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) document what is anticipated to be in harvest and available during each month of the year. I made a copy of the charts and highlighted the relevant crops that should be organic, seasonal, and local during April (when we kitchen test) and May (the actual performance).

The next tool I stumbled upon at the Ecology Center booth during a visit to the Berkeley Farmers market. Along with a plethora of other very useful free information, I found for sale an aesthetically pleasing Local Foods Wheel for the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a colorful visual aid that identifies what is in season throughout the year.

With these two tools in hand, I am now off to plot out a list of local ingredients.

Websites:
http://www.cuesa.org/seasonality/charts/vegetable.php
http://www.localfoodswheel.com

The Plan

Time is evaporating. Paul and I wrote the initial proposal for the Loca Lifestyle Experiment over two weeks ago. I have just finished moving house and am still sitting in the midst of unpacked and beckoning boxes. And today there is a construction crew beginning work on our foundation. As boards are clanking heavily outside my window, I am reminded of Eric Maisel's (http://www.ericmaisel.com) advice on creating in the middle of things – “suit up, show up, drop everything”. So here I am. Finally.

In preparation of the food performance, I have signed up to do the research. Paul will be preparing the final feast with Jessica. Sadly I am out of town in May when the actual event occurs and will miss out on the culmination of our efforts. However, I am joyfully here for part of the journey.

Most of my projects in the past have been a solo act. One of the things I have been learning more about recently is the beauty of collaboration. Not only is it fun to work in community, but it also just makes so much more possible.

For now, this is The Plan:

1) Research the availability of seasonal ingredients in April and May
2) Discover recipes for finger foods that use seasonal local ingredients
3) Find sources for the ingredients within a 100 mile radius
4) Kitchen test the recipes
5) Develop a shopping list for the feast

Institute of Urban Homesteading

Today I met with Ruby of Wisefool Community Arts better known for putting on the Puppet Love Festival of Radical Puppetry in the bay area. Her puppetry always seems to involve food politics in some form or another. This past year she did a piece called "Buzz Buzz" about Colony Collapse disorder in bees.

I ventured over to her north oakland home to learn about her latest project Institute of Urban Homesteading. As food costs go up more and more because of oil, many of us locavores are relearning skills to grow and preserve our own food. Ruby was doing just that when one of her friends suggested she teach other people these skills.

For now, the institute is a one season experiment to see how it all works out. But Ruby is already getting inundated with people wanting to teach new classes and people signing up for her first class on beekeeping. i'd love to teach the chicken class but many others want that too. Isn't it great that we live in a city where multiple people want to teach chicken raising?

On a tour of her garden, I got to see all the wonderful fruit trees [apples and apricots], artichokes, rows and rows of garlic, strawberries, onions, hops, tomatoes, and soil waiting for a spring crop. One section is reserved for a friend teaching about medicinal herbs.

Our conversation kept returning to bees. I've begun to believe bees are the new chickens for 2008. I'm getting mine next month at a green gulch zen center bee workshop.

Ruby's been fermenting various types of honey for over a year now to make mead. Star Thistle being the most coveted. I was even lucky enough to go home with a jar of her honey.

So check out her new website and classes.

Institute for Urban Homesteading
http://www.sparkybeegirl.com/iuh.html

Wise Fool
http://www.zeitgeist.net/wfca/wisefool.htm

welcome to the loca-lifestyle experiment

Greetings everyone. The ritual of food at art openings puts us in a place to be more receptive to what we are viewing. But rarely do we think about what we are consuming. This blog is for an eco-art experiment using the 100-mile diet as a means for art openings.

Kelly and I will be sharing recipes, local food sources, interviews with farmers and other people trying to do things locally.

The project will culminate in an art opening reception taking place in May. Stay tuned for details

Paul + Kelly