News from the Meat Eating World

Rubashkin convicted on 86 charges

November 12, 2009

(JTA) -- A jury convicted Sholom Rubashkin, the former owner of an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse, of 86 out of 91 fraud charges.

The 12-person jury decision on Thursday in Sioux Falls, S.D. likely means that Rubashkin, 50, will spend the rest of his life in prison; combined sentences could reach over 1,250 years.

Federal authorities launched investigations into the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa after a May 2008 immigration raid. The jury took four days to deliberate after a monthlong trial, and convicted him on a range of fraud charges, money laundering and failing to pay his suppliers. Rubashkin's lawyers had argued that he was an incompetent businessman.

The trial was moved to South Dakota after an Iowa judge agreed that the juror pool had been prejudiced by media coverage.

Top Chef goes Veggie, Regional and Seasonal

If you are like me and follow Top Chef religiously, you know that this episode, and winning recipe by Atlanta's Woodfire Grill owner and Top Chef contestant Kevin Gillespie is a few weeks old already - but it sounded and looked so good I just had to share. The challenge was to cook a meal for Natalie Portman, who is a vegetarian. It was so funny watching the chef's reactions tot this "devastating" news! This is not the easiest recipe we've ever posted (I don't know anyone who has a cold smoker lying around their kitchen) but with a few adjustments - I'm sure this will be a wonderful use of our CSA turnips and kale - if anyone experiments and has tips - please share!


Duo of Mushrooms, Smoked Kale, Candied Garlic and Turnip Purée

Chef
Kevin Gillespie Kevin Gillespie

Top Chef, Season 6, Episode 10, Elimination Challenge Winner
Yield

12 SERVINGS
Ingredients
For Braised Morels:

* 2 cups morel mushrooms
* ¼ lb butter, unsalted
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 teaspoon cream
* Salt
* Lemon juice

For Garlic Syrup:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup cider vinegar
* 10 cloves garlic, peeled

For Turnip Puree:

* 2 cups turnips, peeled and sliced
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* ¼ lb butter, unsalted
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 cup water
* 3 turnips, quartered (for garnish)

For Pistou:

* ½ cup tarragon leaves
* ¼ cup pistachios, toasted
* 2 cups parsley
* ½-1 cup extra virgin olive oil

For Greens:

* 2 bunches kale
* 1 onion, brunoised
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* ½ teaspoon chili flakes
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
* ½ lb butter
* 1 quart water

For Sautéed Hen of the Woods:

* 3 cups hen of the woods mushrooms
* 1 teaspoon butter, unsalted
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 celery stalk, fine brunoised
* 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions

For Garlic Syrup:

1. Caramelize sugar in a little water until a deep amber color.

2. Add vinegar and boil until the mixture redissolves into liquid.

3. Add garlic and reduce ¾ to a syrup consistency (about 1 hour). Reserve.

For Braised Morels:

1. In a small saucepan, emulsify butter into water and cream. Season with salt.

2. Braise mushrooms until tender. Season with lemon juice.

For Turnip Puree:

1. Melt cream, butter, and sugar together until dissolved.

2. Add turnips and cook covered until tender.

3. Pour into vita prep and puree until smooth. If too thick, thin with a little water. Adjust seasoning.

4. Roast the remaining turnips in butter until golden. Season with salt. Reserve.

For Pistou:

1. Combine all ingredients in vita prep.

2. Puree and drizzle in olive oil to emulsify to desired consistency. Season.

For Kale:

1. Smoke kale in cold smoker for 5 minutes.

2. De-stem and wash until cold running water until not slimy.

3. Trim away any brown or discolored parts. Cut into ¼” chiffonade.

4. Emulsify butter into water and add remaining ingredients. Add kale and cook to desired tenderness (5-20 minutes). Adjust seasoning with sugar and salt.

For Sautéed Hen of the Woods:

1. Melt butter with oil. When golden color, add mushrooms, celery, lemon juice and zest.

2. Let sit on heat until golden brown and tender, trying not to stir too much.

3. Take off the heat and season.

To Serve:

1. Spoon pistou onto plate.

2. Set kale next to pistou.

3. Spoon turnip puree on the other side of the pistou. Place quartered turnips on top of puree as garnish.

4. Top kale with mushrooms.

5. Drizzle garlic syrup over pistou.

Box Items This Week:
apples
sweet potatoes
butternuts
collards
kale or asian greens
grits

Enjoy!

Next Thursday, November 19th - The Turkey free Thanksgiving Table
Whether you are consdiering a birdless meal, or just want some inspirational side dish recipes - join Rabbi Norry for a delicious evening of cooking, eating and gratitude.

Come at 5:30 if you can for minyan, then stroll over to the kitchen for a pre-holiday treat to be truly thankful for! After the class we will share the prepared meal together to culminate another wonderful CSA season. Please RSVP to naomi.rabkin@gmail.com - space is limited!

Reflections On the End of the Season

By Madeline Guzman,
Newsletter coordinator and member of Hazon CSA in Rockville, MA

Tikvat Israel has now experienced almost three seasons of CSA produce. For most of us, being part of a CSA has been a new experience. The reaction to participating in our CSA has ranged from ecstatic to greatly disappointing. Those who have enjoyed the experience aresigning up for the next season. Those of us less pleased are either dropping out or giving the CSA “another chance.” This has led me to think about what each of us is expecting of a CSA. If one comes into this experience expecting a delivery of the “right” quantity of vegetables in perfect size, shape, and flavor that are most enjoyed by your family, you may be disappointed. If one comes into this experience learning to accept what the land produces, one might be amazed by what the earth (and our farmer) have to offer.

As our summer CSA season drew to a close, I reflected on the responses to the produce received by our members. I’m not sure everyone fully appreciates the meaning of a CSA. To me, it means the shared responsibility for bringing fresh food to our table. In conjunction with my CSA membership (and inspired by Danny Bachman), my husband and I started a vegetable garden. Like the experiences of both Danny and Pam Stegall, our CSA farmer, not all has gone according to plan. Some of our produce came out unlike what we expected, some better than expected, and a few crops were even a total loss. The results in my own vegetable garden were probably a mini-experience of what Pam feels throughout her growing season. The difference is that her commitment is to many more people than my own.

True, CSA produce is not perfect. The pesticides and fungicides used on conventional produce do not protect organic produce. Sometimes this means being very careful to wash away animal pests or cut away a damaged portion of a vegetable. Like us, animal pests (and even bacteria and fungus) find our veggies tasty! We need to be a bit gentler and forgiving of what the earth produces.

One particular Hazon CSA in Tenafly NJ, has been hit particularly hard this year. When Steve Golden (Tenafly’s site coordinator) visited the farm, he saw first hand the inexplicable fact that the beets did not grow, despite being planted in the best soil of that particular field. Indeed, the other rootcrops – turnips, carrots and radishes – did not really produce. So too the arugula, as well as the broccoli – which looks like it had some leaf disease which limited its growth. Not to mention the horrible late blight that killed all of our tomatoes and those in neighboring Rockland County and throughout the Northeast.

Crestfallen, Ted (another one of our famers) brought us the few cherry tomatoes which were not completely rotting in the field even though they too were infected (if you left it on your counter to ripen, as we did, the blight overtook the little fellow overnight). We all sympathize with the Stephens who will now have to pull up all the myriad tomato plants and burn them. What a great shame – so much painstaking care and tending going up in smoke. Thankfully, the squash did much better, although the green zucchini harvest was only a fraction of what we would have had if the season were “normal.” That goes for the first planting of cucumbers and string beans. All in all, the spring/summer harvest has been a devastating experience for the Stephens family. (excerpted from The Jew and the Carrot blog, “A Difficult Summer: A Letter from the Tuv Ha’aretz in Tenafly” by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster)

Reading afterward about the support provided to the devastated farming family in this situation was heartwarming. My point is simply that CSA members are literally sharing the successes and failures of farm life. So, dear members, thank you for thinking hard before you commit yourselves to this practice and immersing yourselves in it completely once you have.

Nine Faiths, One Vegan Lunch at Windsor Castle

On the Agenda — The Largest-Ever Commitment To Take Environmental Action
By Leah Koenig
Published October 27, 2009, The Forward


On Tuesday November 3, His Royal Highness Prince Philip will host over 200 guests for lunch at Windsor Castle, the 900-year-old palace that serves as an official residence of his and Queen Elizabeth’s. But this lunch will be noticeably different from the roasted quail and crème fraîche typical of castle meals. Instead, the menu is entirely vegan and centered on seasonal, regionally sourced ingredients.

The reason: an interfaith conference called “Many Heavens, One Earth: Faith Commitments for a Living Planet,” to be attended by leaders from Jewish, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Daoist, Hindu, Muslim, Shinto and Sikh backgrounds. Co-sponsored by the Unite d Nations Development Program and Alliance of Religions and Conservation (or ARC, a faith-based environmental organization co-founded by Prince Philip in 1995), the conference has the goal of presenting unique seven-year commitments that outline each religion’s plan to foster action around climate change within the participants’ communities.

The seven-year framework resonates deeply within Jewish tradition, which mandates a weekly day of rest on Shabbat and a septennial resting of agricultural land in Israel during the shmita year. At the conference, eight Jewish delegates — a collection of educators, entrepreneurs, rabbis, activists and politicians from the United States and Israel — will present a commitment that calls upon Jewish individuals and organizations to “play a distinct and determined role in responding to climate change” between now and the next shmita year, which starts September 2015.

“Jewish people have moved through history by marrying small steps with big vision,” said attendee Nigel Savage, whose organization, Hazon, played a lead role in crafting the Jewish commitment. Now is the time, he said, to connect small actions — like switching to energy-efficient light bulbs or planting a synagogue vegetable garden — with education and advocacy.

While not the first gathering to marry faith and sustainability, this conference marks the largest-ever commitment by faiths to take environmental action. “Religions have the unique capacity to think beyond the next business cycle to long-term generational change,” said delegate Rabbi Yedidya Sinclair, who founded the Jewish Climate Change Campaign in Israel.

Not coincidentally, the conference has been scheduled to precede the international climate-change talks that will be held in Copenhagen in December. “The U.N. and World Bank (which will attend both gatherings) are among the world’s biggest, multilateral organizations,” said Rabbi Sinclair. “These organizations are beginning to realize that religions have a crucial role in addressing climate change.”

So what about that lunch? The meal at Windsor will be, in effect, a model for the type of eco-minded choices that the delegates hope to encourage within their constituencies. Co-conference organizer Victoria Finlay said that ARC chose vegan food to provide a low-impact meal that accommodates the widest spectrum of the delegates’ dietary needs. Daoists, for example, cannot eat onions, garlic or other ingredients that might cause a disruption of airflow within the body. Religious Hindus avoid meat and eggs and observant Muslims eschew pork and meat that has not been ritually slaughtered. (Understandably, the organizers avoided the logistical headache of offering separate meals that cater to nine different religions.)

The resulting menu includes roasted pear salad with cobnuts and chicory, Portobello mushrooms stuffed with artichoke and herbs, pearl barley risotto and organic wine bottled by Orthodox nuns in France’s Rhone Valley. This will be the first-ever vegan effort undertaken by Edible Food Design, one of Windsor’s regular catering companies. Head chef Sophie Douglas-Bate said her “heart sank at the thought of cooking without butter and cream,” but she ultimately enjoyed the challenge.

Despite the organizers’ least-common-denominator approach, however, the lack of a mashgiach and separate dishes means that kosher-keeping Jewish delegates will not be able to eat the lunch — they are the only participants unable to do so. And although they were offered the option of ordering food from an outside kosher kitchen, some of them declined. “I realized I’d be eating food that was triple-wrapped in plastic with disposable cutlery at an environmental conference,” said Rabbi Sinclair of the kosher offerings. “That was a moment when I realized kosher is important, but not enough.” Instead, Sinclair plans to eat fruit, salad and “a few granola bars,” brought from home.

While Rabbi Sinclair’s lunch might not be entirely satisfying, ultimately the more important challenges lie beyond one lunch at Windsor. “We’re interested in what happens next.” Savage said. “The next shmita year is far enough away to imagine big changes, but near enough that it’s not pie in the sky.”

For Hazon, the seven-year plan is part of a larger campaign that has already begun to galvanize action around climate change in the Jewish community. Delegate Naomi Tsur, a seasoned environmental activist who recently became deputy mayor of Jerusalem, intends to use the plan as a springboard toward a more thoughtful approach to the shmita year in 2015. “Shmita is big business in our city, but the way it is currently observed is a tragedy,” she said. Tsur hopes to involve Jerusalem’s city gardens in raising awareness around sustainable agriculture’s connection to climate change. “This is our opportunity to think globally and act locally,” she said.

Addendum

Neglected to include that the first recipe is for INCREDIBLE pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Riverview and Recipes

Box this week:

apples
sweet potatoes
collards
arugula
lettuce
grits
muffins
turnips
cilantro

We enjoyed a beautiful day up at Riverview Farm on Sunday. We got a full tour of of the farm - pet pigs, saw where the corn is milled into the grits we get to enjoy this week, and sampled turnip greens and cilantro along the way. Of course we shared a delicious meal that ended with some seasonal and super yummy dessert - the recipes generously shared by Robin Rosen and Louise Spiro

INGREDIENTS

1 cup canned pumpkin (try subbing some pureed sweet potatoes for some of the pumpkin)

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 bag semisweet chocolate chips 12 oz.


DIRECTIONS

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.


Apple Coffee Cake

3 cups flour
1 /2 cup orange juice
2 1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup oil
3 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3 1/2 tsp baking powder



Combine and beat for 3 minuets

apple mixture

4 apples sliced

add 3 tsp cinnamon and 3 Tablespoons sugar ( I used brown sugar)

optional to add to apples:3/4 cups melter butter (or margarine)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs 3/4 cups brown sugar

3/4 cups chopped nuts

Grease and flour tube pan. pour 1/4 of batter into pan and place 1/2 apples on top. Add remaining batter and cover the top with remain apples. Bake 350 degree for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until brown.


Upcoming Events:

Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes with Rabbi Norry

Whether you are thinking about a bird free feast, or simply looking for some new vegetarian sides and option - join us for an evening of inspiration with Rabbi Norry. Be in touch (shearith.organic@gmail.com) if you are interested in participating, as space will be limited (Tentative date, Thursday, November 19th)

A Contrarian View on Apple Picking

This article comes from Slate.com, and it's a rather cranky view of Pick-Your-Own Apple operations. We tend to get very righteous and rhapsodic about fresh food in our CSA, so just for "fun" I thought a contrarian point of view might generate some thinking or comment. By the way, our visit to Riverview Farm yesterday was magical and delightful -- a great outing and community builder. Anyway, if you'd like to respond to this article, I'm happy to post other points of view. Just send an email to ninarubinatl@gmail.com

Against Apple Picking
Why pick-your-own orchards are a wasteful scam.

By Daniel Gross
Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, at 7:00 AM ET

---

Every autumn, as the leaves change and brisk winds banish all remnants of summer, many of us head to the country to participate in a feel-good seasonal tradition: apple picking. But as Daniel Gross argues in this article from October 2006, it's delusional to think that the activity is good for the environment, farmers, or the economy. Apple picking may be a satisfying ritual and pleasant day out with the kids, but it's also a wasteful scam.

A few weeks ago, the New York Times ran a poignant article about anguished fruit farmers in California. Because of a crackdown on illegal immigrants, they couldn't find workers willing to pick their pears, even at $150 per day. And as a result, perfectly good fruit rotted in the fields.

Perhaps the California farmers, who depend on migrant Mexican labor, have got the wrong business model. Instead of paying workers to pick their fruit, they should try another strategy: making customers pay to pick the fruit themselves. Savvy farmers all over the country have discovered a practice that might not work as a nationwide agricultural policy, but that has allowed some economically inefficient orchards to thrive: Encourage yuppies and their progeny to come pick your fruit—they'll pay handsomely for the privilege, buy more than they'd ordinarily consume, and then shell out for all sorts of other value-added products. It's the best use of child labor since Manchester's early 19^th-century textile mills.

Apple picking is a cherished rite of fall, a wholesome and fun family outing, a throwback to a simpler time when people weren't so disconnected from the production of their sustenance. I look forward to it every year. It's also a wasteful scam.

We've been educated (or bullied, depending on your outlook) by foodies like Alice Waters and Dan Barber to adopt the European concept of terroir—the best stuff to consume is the stuff grown in closest proximity. For people in the Northeast, that's fine in the summer, when the Union Square greenmarket bursts with locally grown exotic greens, yellow squash, and heirloom tomatoes of such flavor (and cost) as to make a gourmand weep.

But in the fall, while the region's landscape lights up with foliage, the farm stands' color palette becomes more drab: potatoes, root vegetables, pumpkins, gourds, and, of course, apples. And so, to the pick-your-own orchards we go.

Silverman's Farm, the farm I frequent in Fairfield County, Conn., is a pick-your-own farm for Type A's: a high-volume, diversified joint. It attracts pickers from New Haven, New York, and all points in between. (You can rusticate and still be back to Park Slope in time for dinner.) Several tractors take turns hauling wagons with families up the slopes, and then back to the large store, where pumpkins, jams, ciders, pies, and flowers are sold. After jostling through the crowds—gaining access to the choice apple trees and a quick checkout lane requires the same level of competitiveness, foresight, and sharp elbows as winning admission to top nursery schools—it's across the street to the petting zoo for the exquisite pleasure of having llamas and goats lick pellets out of your hands.

On Sunday, we experienced a more laid-back, echt version of apple-picking on a postcard-perfect day at Bartlett's Orchard in the Berkshires.

The apple-picking experience sheds light on some unflattering truths about the American economy.

First, we regard nature as a realm to be conquered and tamed for our recreation, not to be preserved and nourished for its own sake. At the orchards, kids are instructed on how to pick apples—twist them gently—in such a way that leaves the tree intact. (Of course, for every child who closely adheres to the instructions, there's another who shakes the branch heartily, sending a cascade of smaller apples, leaves, and branches down to the ground.) But these trees are hardly natural. They aren't the sort of majestic, voluptuous apple trees you would have found in the Garden of Eden. They're dwarf apple trees, stumpy bushes engineered so that their fruit grows just a few feet off the ground. They're the veal calves of the fruit world.

In the United States, overconsumption is encouraged as a positive good (see under: McMansions, SUVs, all-you-can-eat buffets). Add pick-your-own apples to the list. At Silverman's Farm, pickers have a choice: $14 for a small bag and $24 for a large bag. At Bartlett's, it's less: $9 for a peck (10 pounds), $15 for a bushel (20 pounds). But even though consumers here avoid all the supply-chain costs they would pay at a grocery store, it's not that much cheaper. At Peapod, a three-pound bag of apples goes for $2.79, about 93 cents a pound.

And, just as people who visit wineries end up walking away with a case instead of a bottle, it's a given that people leave pick-your-own orchards with a surfeit of apples. We left with two almost-full small bags, about 20 pounds, or between 60 and 70 apples. In a good week at home, we'll go through a dozen. Pickers tell themselves they'll put the farm-fresh apples to good use: making homemade apple sauce, or whipping up an apple pie. But most people don't have the time. Besides, pick-your-own orchards sell the processed versions right there, in the irresistible form of apple cider and apple-cider donuts. (Even when they go to pick fresh produce, Americans use it as an excuse to consume deep-fried, carb-loaded junk.)

Apple-picking also makes us vulnerable to that peculiarly American malady: the paradox of choice. Sophisticated American consumers must develop the ability to pick and choose among hundreds of varieties of wine, cheese, chocolate, and coffee. Well, like everything else in life, apple connoisseurship can be reduced to a convenient spreadsheet. Did you know that Granny Smith apples are tart and are superb for pies but poor for sauce, while Sun Crisp are tangy sweet and are very good for salad but only fair for pies? And how can you keep track of all the different varieties once they're in the bag? If you thought comparing apples to oranges was a fruitless endeavor, try comparing apples to apples.

Daniel Gross is the Moneybox columnist for Slate and the business columnist for Newsweek. You can e-mail him at moneybox@slate.com and follow him on Twitter. His latest book, Dumb Money: How Our Greatest Financial Minds Bankrupted the Nation, has just been published in paperback.

Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2233467/

Visit our famer -- Sunday October 25th

1. Box Items this week:

apples, greens, lettuce, peppers
Charlotte's neighbor made the cane syrup from sugar cane he grew and hand stripped and turned into syrup - great for baking and biscuits!

2. Reminder - this Sunday, October 25th 2:00 PM - if you haven't responded to the evite - let us know if you're planning on coming (via evite or write to me at naomi.rabkin@gmail.com - We'll send out directions and caravan/carpool information on Friday morning.

3. A few of us have been discussing the possibility of donating a portion of the Tuv Ha'Aretz administrative fees to the relief efforts of local farmers after the flood. Please respond to the poll when you RSVP to the farm visit event, or email naomi.rabkin@gmail.com by Friday, October 23rd.

Naturally Wrong

By, Liat Racin, found of kosherslowfood.org
This piece was adapted from the Jew and the Carrot Blog

“These are the bad guys,” I whispered to myself in dismay as I exited the Natural Products Expo East at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Hall. I felt disappointed and ‘empty,’ even though my bag was completely full of free food and beverage product samples. I came to this three day exhibition with high expectations. I envisioned a room full of like-minded entrepreneurs and retailers, dedicated to selling and promoting organic and environmentally sustainable products. Though businesses and their respective products were cannily marketed in this manner, they seemed anything but. It was a clear exhibition, rather, of how industry is undermining the true mission of the organic movement.

As I roamed past the 1,500 some booths, most of the products on display seemed identical. In addition to most food samples being distributed with plastic cutlery (with no recycling bin in close proximity most of the times), ‘organic cookies’ followed by ‘organic ready-made dinners’ and ‘organic electrolyte filled’ beverages seemed to be the major trend within the food section. It all seemed like one big fast food and sugar-albeit organic- loaded event wrapped up in a convenient microwavable plastic package. Sadly, only a few businesses seemed to market genuinely sustainable and natural products.

Disheartened, I traveled a few hours north to attend Maine’s annual Common Ground Country Fair, organized by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. It was a breath of fresh air. Family owned farms and businesses offering a unique assortment of organic food, fiber, cosmetics, and wisdom reminded me that local economics is the most natural and environmentally sound production and distribution practice. With no bottled plastic water beverages in site, I happily drank the ‘naturally’ electrolyte filled local tap water while celebrating local culture and traditions. I was forced to question my consumption habits rather than convincing myself that the most difficult change I would have to make was buying organic or natural at the nearby supermarket giant.

In retrospect, my mistake was simple; I falsely equated organic and/or natural foods and other consumer products to being sustainable and healthy. But to really go natural, we must be able to look past the shiny packaging and see the true product inside along with the people who helped produce it. For many of us who are busy and work full-time, the shrewd industrial marketing schemes are indeed dangerous. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to follow this simple rhyme: anything that may appease our conscious about going ‘green’, while conveniently requiring minimal changes to our daily routine, is naturally, naturally wrong.

Bounty and Deprivation – Reflections after the Harvest of Sukkot

By Liz Schwartz
Liz, a member of the Portland Tuv Ha’Aretz, allowed us to adapt this drash which she gave during Sukkot. We share it now as the topics it addresses of food’s abundance and scarcity, are still relevant.

Judaism is particularly connected to food and Sukkot, especially, to the bounty of our fall harvest. In Portland, now is the time for the first apples of the season, in all their amazing varieties, for winter squashes, for root vegetables, and for the last of summer’s abundance: the tomatoes, the zucchini, the pesto made from homemade basil. It is a time to celebrate the simple pleasure of growing and cooking and eating.

The flip side of Sukkot, the season of bounty, is deprivation. While my sweetie and I have been able to eat like kings this summer from our very own front-yard garden, many in our community never get to eat a fresh tomato or cucumber or any other produce, for that matter. My neighborhood in NE Portland, which is mostly low-income, was, not too long ago, a food desert. Now we have the grocery stores, New Seasons and a Safeway within walking distance. But despite this, fresh produce is still not a regular part of many of my neighbors’ diets.

Awhile back, I had several discussions with friends and acquaintances, including a local farmer, about why low-income people don’t eat local, fresh, organic food. I was surprised at their responses (I’d characterize these folks as liberal progressives). One person said that if people just stopped buying soda they could afford fruits and vegetables instead. Another said that if people took the money they spent on drugs and alcohol and used it for food, they could afford to eat properly (he was apparently equating the term “low-income” with “substance abuser,” something that really surprised me). Several people commented, in rather disparaging ways, that if people understood more about nutrition and health they’d make better choices. Not one of the people I spoke with talked about the cost of food as a barrier to eating more produce. As a low-income person myself, I was amazed at these responses.

Portland’s chapter of Tuv Ha’Aretz has been involved in trying to help with some of these issues through our gleaning parties. We’ve gone out to our partner farm, Sauvie Island Organics, three times now (and we hope to go more), and with the help of over 20 people, we’ve been able to harvest over 700 lbs of food, all of which we’ve donated to local food pantries. It’s been a wonderful experience to be out on the farm picking beans and squash, getting to know new people and, most of all, saving good food that would otherwise go uneaten and giving it to those in need. Your CSA can do this too!

As we move from the bounty of Sukkot, let us be mindful of those who long to buy apples for their children but regretfully pass them by. These people are our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers, even perhaps ourselves. Let us recommit ourselves to the true promise of Sukkot, and work to provide healthy affordable and delicious food for everyone.

Great Zucchini Recipe

Zucchini is still much with us, even as the weather cools and the days shorten. If you're absolutely sick of using zucchini in ratatouille or stuffed baked zukes and want to try something really simple, here's chef Michael Symon's Zucchini Crudo. Photo by Donna Ruhlman from a forthcoming cookbook by Symon.

Zucchi Crudo

2 zucchini (about ¾ pound), thinly sliced
2 yellow summer squash (about 1½ pounds), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 shallot, finely sliced
Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons, or to taste
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄3 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh dill

Combine the zucchini and yellow squash in a colander in the sink and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the salt over it. Toss to coat, and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, no longer. In a large bowl, combine the garlic and shallot, sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream, then the almonds and dill. Taste for seasoning and acidity (it should be nicely acidic). Add the zucchini and squash to the dressing, toss, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This week's Box

Apples

Sweet Potatoes

Butternuts

Eggplant

Greens

Radish or Turnips

Peppers

Eggplant "Pasta"

Ingredients

2 medium-large eggplants

Kosher salt, for purging

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup cream

4 tablespoons basil chiffonade

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Peel each eggplant leaving 1-inch of skin at the top and bottom unpeeled. Slice the eggplant thinly lengthwise, about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly coat each slice with the salt and purge on a sheet pan fitted with a rack for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and roll in paper towels to dry. Slice the pieces into thin strips to resemble pasta.

In a large saute pan heat the oil. Add the garlic and chili flakes and toast. Add the eggplant "pasta" and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cream and increase heat to thicken sauce. Finally add the basil and Parmesan and toss to combine. Season with pepper, no salt needed as the eggplant will have residual salt from the purge. Serve immediately.

Alton Brown Food Network Website

www.foodnetwork.com

Reusing and Recycling Your Lulav and Etrog

Adapted from The Jew and the Carrot Blog, by Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster

As a teacher of Judaism, I am often at a loss to explain one of the most beautiful and yet most pagan Jewish rituals: the celebration of Sukkot with the four species (arba minim) of the lulav and etrog. For me, the beauty of the lulav and etrog is often bittersweet, since my time with the two is so fleeting. Unlike other Jewish ritual objects (like candlesticks or a shofar), the four species are living objects. I have to enjoy them before they wilt away.

But that doesn’t mean you need to throw them out when Sukkot is over. I was inspired by my colleague Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner (founder of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc, a source of interactive Judaic programming, as well as www.jewishfreeware.org), who shared the following list of ways to “recycle” the four species. With his list in mind, I can continue to bring the happiness of sukkot, and the diverse symbolism of the four species, into all corners of my Jewish life for the rest of the year.

Rabbi Lerner wrote: “I save the etrog and use the peel and/or zest to make a vodka or tequila liqueur used on Hanukkah as a historical connection between Sukkot and Hanukkah, either in recipes or as a beverage. With a “kosher l’pesah” potato vodka, I use etrog zest and peel to make a liqueur for the Seder. When the children were young, we saved their etrogim in a vase with their name and the year written on it in Hebrew.

Some people like to insert cloves and cinnamon bark into the etrog and use it as a solid “besammim” (spices) for Havdalah. Others use the etrog as it dries to keep drawers of clothing smelling fresh.

I use the lulav itself to brush hametz during bedikat hametz (checking for hametz before Passover) and then burn both together.

Another use is a decoration for the sukkah in following years, writing in Hebrew the name of the user(s) and the year of use. I use the myrtle leaves included with other spices for besamim for Havdalah. The stems I cut into lengths and then cut a pen point as on a feather quill for writing small Jewish ritual texts such as mezuzot or tefillen. (I should add that I teach how it is done in theory, but I am not a sofer.)

I root the willows because they are not the “weeping willow” with drooping serrated leaves but a special species known as the “River Willow” or “arvei nahal” with a reddish-brown twig and long, smooth and narrow leaves. After they sprout roots in vases with water, I transplant them into containers with soil. Thereafter I distribute them as a Jewish “Johnny willow tree” to as many who would plant them. They can be raised into trees or large bushes as I once did in a congregation from which I had students cut fresh aravot for the lulav each day and then ultimately to tie hoshanot, for Hoshana Rabbah.

I use the box from the etrog for a tzedakah box, although as one person told me “you can always use another box.” They are wonderful for storing Jewish collectibles, and if fragile, they also have today a foam rubber lining.

I used the flax in which the etrog once used to be wrapped to twist into wicks as is described in the Mishnah, and I show how well they work in Hanukkah workshops using my collection of clay oil lamps from the Bronze through Byzantine Israel. Now, because flax is rarely used, I have turned to use the foam rubber in the etrog box from which to cut and create decorations for our Sukkah.

The plastic bag for the lulav becomes a wonderful quiver for my arrows for use in my Lag BaOmer programs of archery and arrowheads, and even a Bible lesson on David’s use of artillery.” Happy Recycling!

Effects of the Storms on local Farmers

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. -- As Judith Winfrey walks the seven acres of her organic farm, there's little evidence that just days ago almost all the rows were green with one growing vegetable or another.

"This soil used to be so fluffy I could gently push my hand in and go all the way down past my wrist. Now i can barely force my fingers into it--it's all clay and silt," said Winfrey.

Monday's flood caused the nearby Anneewakee Creek to overflow it's banks and submerge Winfrey's Love is Love Farm under an estimated 10 feet of water. Two-thirds of the crops were destroyed. The floodwaters detroyed a bevy of vegetables including kale, spinach, endive radishes and carrots. A number of the fields were days away from harvest.

The farm itself sustained damage. Ancient, canopy trees were ripped from their roots. A bridge over the creek was washed away. The irrigation system is broken along with a pump that worked on the property's pond.

Winfrey's farm provides food to hundreds of people around Metro Attlanta. She and her partner, Joe Reynolds, run a small food stand next to the Atlanta restaurant Baccanalia and paticipate in the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

"It's really devastating to think about how much care, time, effort and money was poured into this place and into this soil. It's hard to look at it and see it all gone," said Winfrey.

Winfrey's farm is one of several that's reported losses from the recent flooding. The Georgia Department of Agriculture is working on a dollar estimate of damage and has crews on the ground doing assessments. They hope to have some totals by the end of the week.

Meantime, Winfrey and Reynolds aren't wasting anytime in getting back to work. While it could take weeks or months, friends and fellow farmers have already offered to help with cleanup and re-planting.

"We've got to start over. There are a lot of people who depend on our organic food and this is more that just about our farm, this is a community that provides quality food for Atlanta," said Winfrey.

The Georgia Farmer Flood Relief Fund has been set up to take tax-deductible donations, administered by Slow Food Atlanta. To donate to the fund, checks can be made out
and sent to :

Georgia Flooded Farms Relief Fund

P.O. Box 2641

Smyrna, GA 30081

SOURCE www.11alive.com


This Sunday's Field of Greens festival at Whipoorwhill Hollow Organic Farm from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM brings together locally grown food, live music, and green living education all in a family friendly environment ($15 for adults, kids under 12 FREE!)

www.fieldofgreensfestival.com

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT SPLIT CEDAR FARMS (Neil Taylor's

Farm) They were also affected by last week's storms and need volunteers to do hand cultivation. If you are interested in volunteering as a group, get in touch with naomi.rabkin@gmail.com or Contact Volunteer Coordinator at taylorganic@bellsouth.net to find a time to go up on your own.

For more information about the fund and upcoming fundraising events you can also visit

www.slowfoodatlanta.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sukkot Potluck Thursday, October 8th 5:30-6:45
Farm Visit Sunday, October 25th 2:00-4:30 (RSVP for both to naomi.rabkin@gmail.com)

How to Plant Garlic

By Madeline Guzman
Newsletter coordinator from the Rockville, MD Tuv Ha’Aretz site

The best time to plant garlic is after the first frost date, this translating into mid-October in Maryland and much of the Northern regions of the country, which is coming up soon! Garlic is part of the allium genus (the onion plant family) which also includes scallions, chives, onions, shallots, and leeks. All of these are perennial bulbous plants which contain cysteine sulfoxide,a chemical which gives these plants their distinctive taste and odors There are about 1,250 species of this genus, making it one of the largest plant genera in the world!

Garlic is very easy to grow. It would make the perfect vegetable for the first-time vegetable gardener. You may begin with just one bulb of garlic. Obtain it from a farmers market, a seed company, your CSA farmers, or even a garlic festival. Do not use garlic from the grocery store, as those bulbs are usually imported and may harbor disease. Begin by dividing the garlic bulb into cloves. Each clove, with its thin, white, papery skin, will be a seed for a new garlic bulb. Allow the cloves to dry overnight before planting. Choose a garden site that is sunny, but not too damp.

Prepare your garden by loosening the soil and adding a scoopful of compost, working the compost into the rest of the soil with your shovel. Do not use any cloves that appear damaged. Plant each clove one inch deep and 4 inches apart. Each bulb of garlic usually contains about 20 cloves. You can plant as many of these as you want, and use the rest for cooking. It might be best to label the garden spot so you do not confuse the long leaves that will emerge as weeds (a sad experience I had last year within over-zealous garden helper in my own flower garden).

After planting, firm up the soil around each clove. Cover all with a layer of mulch or straw. Mulching the ground will prevent weeds from sprouting around each plant and will protect each clove from the biting cold of winter. The mulch does not have to be removed in order for the plants to emerge.

Your garlic bulbs will be nearing harvest time when you see the leaves withering and turning yellow (if you are in the northeast, this won’t be until about July). When the leaves appear almost completely dry, gently dig up each bulb without removing the dead leaves. Allow the bulbs to completely dry by spreading them individually on a screen or newspaper. When dry, cut off the leaves and stems to within an inch of the bulb. Store the bulbs either in a cool area of your home (the cooler, the better) or in your refrigerator. Never store garlic in plastic bags which does not allow the living bulb to “breathe.”

Your garlic is now ready to use. Once you harvest your own garlic, you’ll be so proud of having grown a self-sustaining (a word we love) vegetable. If you grow too many, simply bring them in to share with other CSA members or friends at work. Happy gardening!

Nutritional Labeling - Beware of So Called Smart Choices®

From Food Democracy Now!

Ever get the feeling that multinational food corporations are just trying to sell you a bunch of junk in a pretty package? Well, the new Smart Choices® Program proves that hunch to be true. Recently, an alliance of over a dozen giant food conglomerates and some industry “experts” came up with a new nutrition labeling program meant to help consumers make “smarter food and beverage choices.

You might be surprised what they define as a “Smart Choice”: products like Froot Loops®, Keebler Cookie Crunch® and Lucky Charms®.

Are they serious? In an age when childhood obesity and type II diabetes has become an epidemic, labeling sugar cereals as smart choices is unacceptable. Please join us in telling the FDA and USDA to investigate the Smart Choices® Program and put an end to deceptive labeling. http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/

The new Smart Choices® label, a large, bright green checkmark, is starting to appear on packages of processed food across the country thanks to the help of major corporations like ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, PepsiCo, Tyson Foods and Unilever.

For only $100,000, a company can join the Smart Choices® program and “recommend” products that contain as much as 44% sugar to your children.

This new label is a sign of everything that is wrong with food industry driven labeling programs. According to Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the criteria for the new “smarter food” label is so low that: “You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria.”

Jacobson, who was on the original panel of experts that worked to create the nutritional standards for the Smart Choices® program, resigned last September in disgust because the results were so far in favor of the industry. Thankfully, the FDA and USDA have taken notice. The agencies sent a joint letter saying they would “be concerned if any FOP (front of package) labeling systems…had the effect of encouraging consumers to choose highly processed foods…”

The letter is a good start, but The FDA and USDA need to do more. The Smart Choices program will encourage bad food choices if it's allowed to proceed. And the FDA and USDA have the ability to stop it. Please sign this petition now and tell the FDA and the USDA that Froot Loops® is NOT a Smart Choice for our children.

Kitchen Wisdom

This piece comes from Rabbi Dara Frimmer, of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles. It was in part inspired by her work on the Hazon Food Conference executive committee and the work she’s been doing to create a healthier and more sustainable world for all.

Growing up, our kitchen was the room of gathering. It did not have the most comfortable chairs. No fine artwork decorated the walls. And yet, something about the kitchen drew people in and kept them together. As it turns out, some of my best learning took place in the kitchen.

The kitchen was a place to test out authority, to challenge tradition, to practice assertiveness:

Why do we keep 2 sets of dishes, but we eat Chinese food on paper plates? How come Laura, my babysitter, can have a glass of milk with dinner, but I can’t? If we eat crab cakes in Cape Cod, what’s the point of keeping a Kosher home? “We’re doing it for your Bubbe and Zaide in Brooklyn,” said my mother. “So they feel comfortable when they come to visit.” “We’re doing it because I said so,” replied my father. “When you’re older, you can make your own decisions.”

And so I did. I entered Stanford University with a strong critique of my Jewish identity: It felt hypocritical, fractured, non-responsive to questions of relevance, justice and inclusivity. For years, I studied other religions, in awe of their ability to reinterpret and reframe ancient traditions. And then someone taught me about eco-kashrut, a language that united food, justice and holiness. Eco-Kashrut suggests that the health and wages of farmers, day-laborers, and restaurant employees should be factored into the kosher-certification process. Environmental impact matters. Treatment of animals matter. Amidst these debates of tradition and innovation, I felt as though I was back in my childhood kitchen: Questioning. Curious. Engaged.

The kitchen taught me about my parents:

It was clear that my mother and father had very different ways of handling food. My mother followed recipes. Line by Line. All ingredients were placed on the counter ahead of time. Measuring spoons and cups close at hand. Timer ready. Kitchen sink clear. She was deliberate. Cautious. Ritualistic. She was loyal to her favorite recipes: for kugel, for fish, for matzo ball soup. She made notes in the margins of cookbooks: “Serves 8 not 10!” and “Perfect for Passover!” Seated around the kitchen table, she would ask, “How was your day?”– an addition she included every night as if it was the final line of the recipe.

My father, my his memory be a blessing, was her foil. He would commandeer the kitchen on special occasions. He’d tear recipes out of the New York Times. Sometimes a few lines would be missing. The flame would be heating up the pan of oil, as he rustled through the cabinets looking for ingredients. Spices were measured by pouring them into his hand and then emptying them into the pot. Food was tasted and sampled and adjusted along the way. Sauces spattered across the stovetop and tiles. Culinary magic and mystery came at the cost of a few mistakes. Sometimes we ended up at a restaurant for dinner. Failure was simply a part of the process.

My kitchen teaches me about myself:

Today, I line my kitchen counter with glass jelly jars, filled with beans and barley and quinoa and peas. They stand in a row, in perfect order. Recipes are clipped by magnet onto the fridge. Sometimes I follow them. Sometimes not. I measure in cups and spoons, and in-between pinched fingers and open palms. I try to remember that the experience of cooking – all of the smells, the textures, the shapes, the colors – the experience is as important as the final product. I try to take a moment before the first bite to bless the food that sits before me, the friends who have joined me, and the life that has carried me up until this moment.

Back in the days of the Temple, our ancestors would make pilgrimages to Jerusalem 3 times a year. 3000 years later, many of us find ourselves in a similar pattern. We visit our Temple a few times a year, seeking connection, a spark of holiness, a glimpse of the Divine. After the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, the next generation of leaders called rabbis reinvented Judaism to survive without the central site of worship. Each home became a Temple. Each table became an altar. Each person became a priest. Our daily prayers served in place of sacrifices. Our braided challah on Friday nights became the sacred Sabbath offering.

We do not have to wait for our yearly pilgrimages to experience a spark of holiness. Invite over some family or friends and share some food…and some company…and some creativity…and some stories. Sit around the kitchen table and share some wisdom. Some of my best learning took place in the kitchen – what about you?

I Hate Jewish Food

The other night my husband and I were laughing with friends about how supermarkets in the south lump all of the Jewish holidays together, toting out the matzah, potato pancake mix, and honey cakes - whether it's Passover or Rosh Hashanah. I even saw Hamantaschen on display at the Briarcliff Whole Foods (you'd think the foodie mecca across from Kosher Gourmet would know better!).

Similarly, while Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah, Purim and Pesach have their own signature items, the Ashkenazi holiday table still does not vary all that dramatically from season to season. As a veg-aquarian, the almighty brisket does not make it to my table, and I know, it's a shonda, but I just do not care for kugel - noodle, potato, sweet savory. It just doesn't do it for me. And while I love a good roasted root vegetable, the cloying sweetness of most tzimmes recipes is totally unappetizing to me.

It was not until a few years ago when I started experimenting with my own cooking that I began to realize that tradition is no excuse for bland and unhealthy cooking. Rabbi Norry, in a vegetarian Passover cooking class a few years ago, made the wonderful point that the best way to celebrate and honor creation is to celebrate and glorify the bounty of each season's produce. What could be more Jewish than that? The squashes, apples, and greens of this season have so much color, vibrancy and flavor to add to our holidays and celebrations. Let's challenge each other to reimagine "Jewish" cooking this season.

Join us on October 7th for our annual Sukkot Potluck from 5:30-6:45 and share your best vegetarian/dairy creations. I know from experience that there are some incredible cooks out there, so let's set the bar high!

Here are two of the "stars" of our Rosh Hashanah table this year featuring North Georgia Apples and Delicata Squash.

Shanah Tovah!


Delicata Squash and Celery Root Puree
I overheard some people at pickup wondering what to do with the oblong speckled delicata squashes especially if you don't like sweet veggies. The celery root balances out the sweetness to make a smooth and savory puree that my children like to dip roasted cauliflower in.

• 2 small delicata squashes
• 1 large celery root (celeriac)
• 1/4 cup cream or milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter
• one head garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives (divided)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Cut squashes in half and remove seeds. brush halves with olive oil and spinke with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-45 minutes, or until squashes are soft. Cut top off of garlic head and brush with oil and a little salt and roast garlic head. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Peel celery root and then cut into large cubes. Salt boiling water and cook celery root pieces for 20 minutes (until fork tender). Drain celery root and puree with roasted squash (skin removed). In saucepan melt butter and one tbsp chopped chives, and 2-3 cloves roasted garlic. Add milk or cream and heat at medium (do not boil). Add milk mixture to squash and puree again in food processor or use immersion blender. Season with Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with 1 tbsp. chopped chives if desired.


Flounder with Apple Saute

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. butter (optional)
• 4 apples sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced shallots
• 1/4 apple juice
• 1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. veggie broth
• 1 small-medium onion, sliced.
• 2 cloves garlic and 1 inch peeled ginger (minced)
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder (optional)

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp butter in pan. Add shallots and onions to pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown shallots and onions on medium heat for 15 minutes. Add minced garlic and ginger and curry powder, and saute for one minute. Add apples and stir. Deglaze pan with apple juice (or cider). Reduce by 1/2 and add vinegar and veggie broth. Simmer on low until fish is ready.

Bread fish with flour, eggwash and breadcrumbs. Pan fry in oil and another tsp. or so of butter for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes. (Fish may be kept warm in 200 degree oven.)

Serve fish over puree, and top with apple mixture.

Elephants in our refrigerator?

As we all prepare to reflect, renew and restore ourselves for the new year, here are some interesting articles to ponder. and a yummy sounding recipe from celebrity chef Michael Ciarello that is an interesting take on apples and honey (you could even substitute the frisee in the recipe for the arugula we are getting in our boxes : )

Shanah Tovah everyone! May this year bring us all health, happiness and sweet and sustainable lives : )

Box items this week: Tomatoes, Pac Choi, Peppers, Apples, Eggplant, Arugula, Delicata Squash, Muscadines Shelled Peas

ELEPHANTS IN OUR REFRIGERATOR
by Susan Bodnar Adapted from the Jew and the Carrot

Recently, Michael Pollan linked the reduction of medical costs to the even more controversial reformation of the food industry, what he calls the elephant in the national debate about the health care crisis. While Washington dukes out the legislative challenges to securing a healthier national environment, the country’s children have already returned to another school year and the Jewish New Year is upon us. Can we really wait for all this legislation to be enacted? Not me. I’m joining others who believe that change begins at the kitchen table. This year we are going to do a family food tashlich and symbolically cast away the elephants in our own refrigerators, the habitual bad food practices of everyday life.

1) Casting away disembodied eating

We’ll be taking more family expeditions to Farmer’s Markets or the local produce section of the grocery store. We’ll be talking to the kids about how food is grown and introducing them to more farmers who make cheese, grow food and milk cows or goats. Our most recent hero is the cheese guy from Olde Oak Farm in Orono Maine. Teaching children about food’s origins will help them respect eating it. It will also signal to our kids how much we care about them. Active concern about what goes into your kids’ bodies and foods sacred relationship to the earth, teaches them that their body really is a temple. A healthy regard for the physical self reflected by parental behavior helps children establish good personal boundaries. Good personal boundaries are the foundation of healthy eating and respect for limitations.

2) Casting away processed foods

When we journey to the river’s edge this Rosh Hashanah, we’ll take a pinch of processed food. This is to establish that sound eating is a spiritual goal as well as a health one. When healthy eating is only about rules it robs nutrition of its aesthetic merits. Eating healthy expresses a love for self, other, nature, pleasure, and, by extension, that which we know as God. While banning processed foods, we’ll be emphasizing sugar as a spare pleasure by home-baking with whole grains, unprocessed sugars, and sweetener substitutes like agave nectar.

3) Casting away disconnection

Not only are we going to eat together we are going to prepare meals together. Shabbat dinner is a great opportunity for this but not the only one. Even school lunches can become a fun family activity. Cooking with kids teaches responsibility, self-reliance and collaborative thinking. Dining together promotes relatedness and non-verbal emotional synergy. Eating healthy food together is almost countercultural, a shared family brand that can help your children stand up to the pressure of consumerist messaging.

There is no reason to wait for Washington to do something about our country’s health and food crisis. As Michael Pollan says, changed consumer patterns brought on by transformed eating patterns will send a message to congress, not to mention the food industry. Just by being part of a CSA you already helping to be a part of change!


New Kosher Food Certification May Be Most Detailed In the Industry
By Nathaniel Popper
Reprinted with permission of The Forward

This article is about one of Hazon’s partners, Magen Tzedek. It is an update on the new kosher certification that they are working to establish. A representative from Magen Tzedek will be joining us at the Food Conference again this year.

The Conservative movement has released detailed guidelines for what experts say could be one of the most comprehensive food certifications in existence.

The guidelines for the new Magen Tzedek food certification are intended to ensure that ethical standards are adhered to in kosher food production, and they delve into nearly every phase of the production process. A group of Conservative rabbis began developing the certification more than two years ago after a Forward article drew attention to the poor working conditions at what was then the world’s largest kosher slaughterhouse, Agriprocessors, in Postville, Iowa.

The Hekhsher Tzedek commission, which created the guidelines with the backing of the national bodies of Conservative Judaism, has previously released rough sketches of what the certification would encompass. But the rules released this week go on for 175 pages and delve into great detail on the standards companies will need to meet if they want to earn a Magen Tzedek certification. (Hekhsher Tzedek means certification of justice in Hebrew, while Magen Tzedek means seal of justice.) Those standards broadly break down into five areas: treatment of employees, animal welfare, consumer issues, corporate integrity and environmental impact.

Among the specific rules laid out in the draft is one stipulating that a company would have to pay its lowest paid employee at least 115% of the federal minimum wage (currently $7.25 an hour) and provide the same employee with health and other benefits that amount to at least 35% of his or her wages. These standards, and many others, would apply to workers who produce any ingredient that is at least 5% of the weight of the final product.

There are a number of certification programs that look at one or another of the specific categories that the Magen Tzedek is interested in — but industry experts say that there are almost no other food-certification systems that are as comprehensive and thorough as what the Conservative rabbis are proposing.

“The breadth is impressive,” said Scott Exo, director of the Food Alliance, which bills itself as the “most comprehensive third-party certification for the production, processing, and distribution of sustainable food.”

The guidelines are being offered for public comment, and the commission is hoping to have an application and a beta test of the program done by the end of this year — with the program starting next year. The Hekhsher Tzedek commission is in talks with an independent auditing company that would conduct the actual certifying audits.

To read the full length article, please visit: www.forward.com/articles/113750/


Piadini with Apples, Honey, and Blue Cheese
From Food Network at www.foodnetwork.com

• 2 apples
• 2 to 3 heads frisee lettuce
• Olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced, plus extra for sprinkling apples
• 5 tablespoons honey
• Grey salt
• Pepper
• 1 bag pre-made pizza dough (from deli counter)
• 4 ounces blue cheese

Directions
2 hours before the party: Core and slice the apples. If you’re not using immediately, squeeze lemon juice on them to prevent discoloration.

When your guests have arrived: Wash and roughly tear the frisee into a salad bowl. Add the apples. Drizzle with olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of the honey, salt and pepper. Set aside

Divide the pizza dough into 4 sections. On a floured board, stretch and roll the dough into thin disks with a rolling pin. The dough may also be stretched by hand, but rolling will give you a thinner crust. Coat the flattened dough with olive oil and place onto a very hot, preheated outdoor grill. (this can be done indoors on a cast iron stovetop grill pan. Set the burners to medium, medium-high and make sure to preheat the pan.) When you see bubbles rise to the surface, flip the dough. It should be slightly browned on the bottom.

Put 1 tablespoon of the honey and 1-ounce of blue cheese, to taste, on the top of the crust. Close down your grill and wait for the cheese to melt. When it is nice and gooey, take it off the grill and top with the cool salad and apples. Repeat with remaining dough and ingredients. Fold it over, eat and enjoy.