Want a Challenge?

The Eco 'Burban Mom - that's me, otherwise know as Mandi and a LVL club member, is challenging you all to a little fun this summer. I love challenges! I have bought nothing, cut the clutter, read great green books, been a giver and eaten local - all as part of a challenge sponsored by one of by blog pals. This month alone I am part of a bookworm challenge, a peak oil crisis challenge and One Local Summer.

For those new to One Local Summer - it's a nationwide challenge to cut carbon emissions and support local economy by asking each member to cook one local meal per week, all summer long. Absolutely fun and 100% delicious at the same time! At the end of the week, a regional sponsor will visit each of our blogs to read about our meal and recap the meal on the main website. We all get great ideas for meals and some new recipes and end up meeting some new friends who are all locavores, just like us.

Unfortunately, One Local Summer closed to new members last month, so I would like to create "One Local Michigan Summer" for all of us La Vida Local members. Here are the rules:

1. Create one ALL local meal each week.
2. This meal can be any meal, breakfast lunch or dinner.
3. Weeks run Sunday to Sunday - starting tomorrow June 1st, ending with the first Sunday in October - though sign up anytime during the summer, as it gets warmer, it will get easier!
4. All ingredients MUST be from our own state, or very close borders to IN, OH & Canada with the only exceptions being salt, spices, oil.
5. After you have cooked your meal, email me (mmankvitz@yahoo.com) with your meal story and maybe even a photo and recipe. Where did you get your ingredients, did you meet the farmer personally? What did your kids think? That sort of thing - funny stories, tips, new farms or even secret off the roadside blackberry patches. Whatever floats your boat.

6. I am going to go with the "beg for forgiveness instead of asking for permission" rule here and guessing that Julie and I can cook up a little prize for the member who contributes the most entries... Thanks, Jules! ;o)

At the end of each week, I will post a recap - right here on the La Vida Local Blog - of the meals, recipes and tips found and contributed by all of the members. I would assume we could all use some great local ingredient recipes and I am betting Julie wouldn't mind seeing all of her great products made into darn right tasty concoctions...

So, are you up for it? Are you game or just an organic, free range, local CHICKEN? Come on, I dare you... This will be fun and delicious! Just add your name and email address to the comments section following this post and I will put you on the list of participants.

One Local Michigan Summer has officially begun! For more information, email me or head on over to my blog and leave me a comment. Click the link above to visit One Local Summer too, they will have great recipes each week, if you need a little boost to get your local cooking skills humming!

Politics and Law Enforcement vs Farm-to-Consumer Sales

If you've really done your homework on how many small farmers have been harassed by government regulation, this article won't be news to you. But if you're new to the scene, you may be skeptical, but believe me, it's overwhelming how often this stuff goes on.

This is an editorial by David Gumpert appearing in "The Nation". It's about the attack on raw milk, which I'm afraid to even post here, because it's a red flag to Big Brother. But there, I've said it! Lol...it also expands on several examples of using undercover agents to infiltrate buying clubs as well (that deal with said dairy products, which I don't mess with under MI law, save the cheese, which is legal to sell when aged an appropriate length of time).

Don't we have more important issues to deal with at both the state and federal level than interfering with consumers buying from farmers directly (or even indirectly, as through me) when the consumer understands exactly what they're purchasing? Buying local is totally accountable and transparent. Buying food at a grocery store is a big mystery--but the government gives it a seal of approval, and that's supposed to make it safe, right? HA!

Here's a snippet from the article...come on! Was the guy really so dangerous that they needed all the drama? Those Mennonites...they're violent, I hear!!! Intimidation is the name of the game, and with the moles they're planting, they're trying to divide us by eliminating trust:

What are these cases really about? It might be argued that, individually, these are mostly harmless cases of low-level bureaucrats gathering evidence by posing as consumers. But taken together, something more is definitely going on.

For one thing, the use of undercover agents tends to be accompanied by other questionable investigative techniques. Meadowsweet Farm has filed suit against the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, alleging in part that a search warrant used by the agency before filing its undercover-agent-inspired complaint was deficient because of its open-ended time frame and vague language about the amount of force that could be used in confiscating evidence.

The week before Mark Nolt's trial, a caravan of law enforcement vehicles arrived unannounced at his farm, carrying eleven PDA employees and four state police officers. The officers secured a perimeter around the farm to prevent any neighbors, including Nolt's elderly father who lives down the road, from gaining entrance. They handcuffed Nolt and took him away in a police car to be arraigned without allowing him to alert his family. And while a search warrant limited the officials to confiscating milk processing equipment, the authorities also took Nolt's expensive cheese-making equipment and cream separator.

Do you trust imported "organic" food?

The short answer to that questions is...not sure. And since I take my organic food seriously, I'll try to stay away from it when I have alternatives. I am under the impression (from light research) that China is a very polluted country (not just the cities, but watershed and farmland as well), and I do feel that there's not much accountability for unsound business practices.

I thought you might like to see this investigative reporting video about all of the imported Chinese "organic" that Whole Foods carries and the certification process.

The Importance of Eating Earnestly

I have for a long time been vaguely dissatisfied with the food that's generally available in supermarkets. Most of it doesn't really look like food, and the stuff that does is shipped in from some other hemisphere and doesn't taste like itself. Then there are all the problems with the meat industry. I didn't really know about those problems until fairly recently, but I felt them.

My early summers were spent in rural Iowa, where my dad grew up. Back in the 70s and early 80s, my grandparents' neighbors had working farms, and there was a pleasant, farmy smell to the air. That was before the caged animal feeding operations moved in. Nowadays the air in my dad's hometown smells like poison, and the well water must be filtered or it will eventually kill you.

This vague dissatisfaction was pretty much my entire reaction to the national food problem until a few years ago, when my wife discovered the books of Barbara Kingsolver--first her fiction, and then her more activist work. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle led us to read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, which led us to Joel Salatin's Everything I Want to do is Illegal. And trips to the grocery store became...complex.

We knew too much.

Nothing looked like food to us anymore. It was all wrong, even the "fresh" produce. (Asparagus in January!?) We couldn't look at grocery store meat without thinking about what happens in the CAFOs and the meatpacking plants. We didn't want to give that stuff to our kids. We wanted to eat real food that had been grown by real farmers on a real farm, but where would we find it, especially in the middle of a Michigan winter?

Then we discovered La Vida Local.

Okay, we still couldn't get fresh local lettuce in January (there's a limit to Julie's miracle-working), but we could get ground beef that had been allowed to act like a cow all its life, cheese that didn't have a z in it, and that had been made right here in Michigan, and all manner of other stuff made or grown or raised less than a couple hundred miles away. It takes a little extra planning, but it's so worth it. The food tastes more like itself, it's better for you, our grocery dollars stay in Michigan (which, face it, in this economy can't be a bad thing), and there are fewer ethical questions about whether our dinner is wrecking the world.

Now that spring is here, we're going to farmers' markets (one in Pontiac, one in Royal Oak), and we've got a nice crop of veggies started, but we're still using La Vida Local. Watch this space for our thoughts about the various products that we've tried and meals we've cooked with
La Vida Local products.

I'll leave you with a thought from Pixar's Ratatouille: "If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff." You can find the good stuff right here.

naturally nutty

Hi to all!
Thank you so much to whoever e-mailed/invited me on this blog site...I love all of the wonderful information! It's so nice to know that there are so man wonderful, consciencious people out there!
Will anyone be coming up to the cherry fest here in TC? This will be my first year selling product there and it would be so nice to chat with some friendly people.... if you're there, please come and visit for a bit!
Have a beautiful day,
Katie

East River Organic Farm - Les Roggenbuck

Warm hello to everyone living La Vida Local ~

We are a 400-acre family farm 7 miles west of Sandusky, Michigan, and close to Marlette, the “Heart of the Thumb.” The Roggenbuck family has farmed in this area for the better part of a century and has farmed this land in particular since the early 70s. In the 90s we transitioned to organic grain and beans and let go of many rented acres to account for the extra time and attention required by organic production.

Les says, “Six or seven years ago I decided that if this farm were going to last, it would have to diversify. I made a list of the things we could provide that would work around here. One of my goals was to put food on people’s tables. I was tired of measuring things out in bins and bushels and trucking them off here and there. So I made a list from simpler to more complicated products to provide. Eggs, vegetables, chicken, beef, and pork were at the top of the list. Dairy was near the bottom because it was too big a change and too much infrastructure, but I also think about what a one-cow dairy would look like!”

We started the herd of Devon cattle in 2002 and the vegetable CSA with 5 families in 2003. The chickens showed up along the way and now enjoy their sunny yard and tidy red coop-on-wheels, laying about 25 dozen rainbow eggs a week! Our diversifying family farm enterprise has begun to look a lot more like it did in the 50s, supported by beef and egg customers throughout the Thumb and Southeast Michigan, local CSA members, and direct sales of organic grains both domestically and overseas. Some goals for the next couple of seasons are to provide homes for honeybees on the farm, and to continue experimenting with yogurt and cheese-making courtesy of Pansy, our young one-cow home dairy.

PFC Exposure Widespread

Here's a link to an article posted on the University of Massachusetts Amherst website/newsfeeds. It's sharing a discovery about PFCs in human breastmilk, but also has good general information about PFC danger (scotch-guarded material, teflon coating, microwave popcorn bags, etc).

Healthy Traditions Network Events

Click here to see this Friday (May 30)'s "Friday Night Live", sponsored by the Detroit and Lapeer chapters of the Weston A Price Foundation, Healthy Traditions Network, commonly known as HTN. This Friday's topic is about common, everyday toxins we expose ourselves to...in food, body care products, etc.

There will also be a Farmers' Market where you can get toxic-free food for impeccable sources.

If you follow this link there's info on getting two tickets for $25 (buy one, get one free)!

Sources for grass-fed meat, as published by the Free Press

Thanks to Catherine P. for sending me this link to a Free Press article about sources for grass-fed meat. Some of these are new to me, some tried and true. I encourage you to do your own research. Some research questions to begin with would be:

1. Is your pasture certified organic, and if not, please tell me your grass management methods?
2. How often are they pastured?
3. What feed do you supplement with? Bear in mind that the only animals designed to eat grain, in many experts' opinions, are birds. Cows are not meant to eat grain (corn is a grain)! Although it can be very hard to obtain organic feed through the winter, and very expensive, so sometimes we have to be more forgiving. If corn is not organic, it is probably genetically modified (GM). Also watch out for GM soy. Winter feed should be dried, not fermented, as lysteria is a threat with fermented "silage".
4. Do you grow your own supplemental feed? A self-sustaining farm is a farm that will not be privy to rapidly changing (increasing!) global commodity prices.
5. Please tell me about your butcher. How is the meat packaged (paper or plastic, if it matters to you)? Are they USDA-inspected? If not, please tell me about why you've chosen them (sometimes the best butchers are not inspected...it doesn't mean that they have something to hide, it just might not be feasible for them).
6. Is your meat aged? Where can I get a sample to try?
7. What time of year should I order, and when and how do I get delivery/pick-up? (usually, you'll pick-up from the butcher).
8. What options do I have for butchered cuts? (Usually there's a sheet you can fill out to specify how you'd like your cuts done and packaged...thickness, quantity per package, etc)

These questions are just a start--off the top of my head. I'm sure I'm missing something important! :)

I highly recommend the book "Holy Cows and Hog Heaven" by Joel Salatin--a quick, important read that will help you go "local meat" in many ways, and give you a better perspective of the farmer's point of view. Not sure you want to go local for your meats? Then you must read Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.


I encourage you to buy in bulk, directly from the farmer...better for them (usually--some don't like the aspect of marketing their products, and would rather do without), and cheaper for you. Shooting myself in the foot? Nope, I just don't see it that way. All work to guide us to a more sensible, sustainable local food economy is going to benefit us all!


Julie

Info on Higher Grounds coffee

Hi--I just wanted to give you all some great resources for learning about Higher Grounds Trading Company, our coffee supplier in Traverse City. You couldn't ask for a more heart-centered company that is making big changes in the world! And it's delicious to boot!

Here's aninterview with Chris Treter, co-founder (with his wife, Jody)...scroll down to April 5th, Part II...ok, I can't get that link to work. Let me try this... ok, this one works! :)


Here's an article about Chris and Jody that appeared in the Detroit Free Press.

And lastly, an article about their delivery person, who delivers coffee by bicycle and trailer, year-round...in Traverse City!!!

Thanks to club members Mandi M and Judy W for these great sources of info!

Julie

Earth Day Expo: Thank-you to all!

Thank-you for an Amazing Earth Day Expo!

All I have to say is, "Wow." I am in awe of where we are at on this planet. There is a heightening of awareness that has such potential to unite us and take us to new places. Thank-you for being my partners on this journey toward a New Earth.

Peace to all,

Julie

Frozen Tart Cherries Recipe: Cherry Muffins from Mandi M!

Frozen Tart Cherries Recipe: Cherry Muffins from Mandi

Thanks for this one, Mandi--sounds delicious! And a cherry muffin might just be something my kids will eat!

"Using the yummy cherries I bought from you, I made this recipe. Of course, organic eggs from Les, organic brown sugar, organic oats, organic butter, organic milk... you know the drill! This made about 15 muffins - strange # I know, but they were good! So, here it is if you want to pass it on (or use yourself!). I literally scooped the frozen cherries right from the bag and into the recipe! Have a good one! - Mandi

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk; low fat is fine
1 1/2 cups cherries

Mix dry ingredients & sugar - set aside. Melt butter, whisk in eggs and vanilla. Mix w/ dry ingredients and milk. Bake 375 for 20-24 minutes. Makes about 15 muffins."

Asparagus Recipe: From Julie!

Asparagus Recipe: From Julie!

This is such a simple way to enjoy your asparagus. I can't claim to have invented it, as it's come to me several times from a variety of people...

Simply mix olive oil, sea salt, and pepper in a cup--don't be tempted to add other spices, as simple is better for this yummy appetizer or side dish. Grill your whole asparagus spears while brushing with your oil mixture. Done when it looks done! Lol..sorry to be obscure! It should be slightly browned and tender-looking. :)

Enjoy as a finger food snack/appetizer or as a side dish. I bet it'd be great chopped up in 1 1/2 inch lengths and laid over salad! I particularly like asparagus when paired with pork as well.

Love! Julie

PS--Asparagus is also awesome with risotto and parmesan cheese!