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Recent
Archives
SEO by:
Michael Eakes
Web Development by:
Ryan Wright |
leaf of baby kale, recipe place tip of fresh-plucked, baby kale leaf barely in mouth. bite through leaf tip with front teeth, drawing leaf back in micro-inch increments, biting each time. consider the changing section of the leaf as you reach the stem and continue biting incrementally down, leaving the flesh of the leaf largely exposed -- and resting flat across the expanse of your tongue. then figure out what to do next. gasp. sigh. wonder. however you respond -- it will be singular. namaste Posted 11:43 AM link
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bury your scraps?!yes. bury deeply the compostables that accumulate in your kitchen, and your garden will receive a time release feed of rich organic matter. omit though, please, the meat and dairy scraps. your garden has far less need and use for your meat and dairy.this is your big chance to dig holes! -- careful holes, brutish holes, square holes, round holes. shape and style do not matter. see what the residents before you were burying. the top of the scraps should simply be at least 14" below the ground plain. the caveats: do not bury a plastic bag containing plant material. do not dig holes immediately adjacent to established plants -- root damage happens, and the benefits will be far outweighed. this is not a strategy for already dense gardens -- before they become dense is the time. i have dug the last of my compost holes in my garden. peace -- namaste Posted 11:37 AM link
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John F. Kennedy wisdomThe problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need people who can dream of things that never were.Posted 11:27 AM link
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Five Ferments Workshop -- Friday, June 19th, 7-9 pm, West Village, NYHello, World-Changers.Curious about ferments? About microfauna? About employing life in service of itself? Come learn 5 simple ferments -- in one beautiful night -- with kindred world-changers -- in a lovely, community-shared space -- including time both during and after, to talk freely, and of things that bubble. Enjoy some delicious. -------------------------- A SIMPLE MENU THAT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE Kombucha. Ogi. (Millet porridge) Lacto-Fermented Yams, Cabbage. Dosas. (South Indian Flatbread -- gluten-free) Rejuvelac. (Sprouted Grain Water Goodness) -------------- Posted 7:05 AM link
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carbon farming course in Tennessee! i support this course -- and its teachers -- but its image, almost above all. <3 Posted 6:12 AM link
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some food wisdom from the garden state(from a Dodge Foundation-sponsored workshop entitled, Bringing People and Land Back into the Economy'..On the fast food, meal on the run, catch as catch can version of dinner, we talked about the fragmentation of landscapes; the 257 acres per hour that are lost to development; the fact that most of the preserved land in the US is posted “no trespassing”; and the fact that one in four people suffer from clinical depression. We also added notions of industrial agriculture, mono crops that strip our soils, rising food safety concerns, food scarcity, justice and access issues, and farming viability and affordability issues.. ..In thinking about “what we would like to do that’s just outside our current organizational fences,” we heard notions of linking food production to housing development; consolidating urban vacant lots for new urban farms; bridging newer suburban populations with long-time residents and farmers; initiating a statewide food security council; creating a sustainable food distribution model to small retail outlets; and creating an intergenerational local foods volunteer corps.. .. Now we were, in Peter’s words, “painting a picture of the world people want to go to.” ' (for context and full post see the Dodge Foundation) Posted 10:37 PM link
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Green Venture Conference Interview yours truly was interviewed tonight at Fairleigh Dickinson University -- next to a sample forest garden plot i staged with one Jan Graff, of BigOldTrees, for the three day conference. Click here to read and hear the interview. ! what a fine start to the conference. Posted 10:54 PM link
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in the first 110 days of this year, 200914,178,0++,+++ CHICKENS have been killed.that's 14 billion in 110 days. i suspect that there exists space within the global collective to be more thoughtful about that.  lovely art work courtesy of Ronna and this, and other fascinating numbers can be found at: World Clock namasté Posted 10:16 AM link
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(the best) carrot cake-carrot-cake-723263.JPG) 1 1/2 cup ---- whole wheat pastry flour (or some combination of other preferred flours) 5/8 cup ----- evaporated cane juice 2 tsp -------- baking powder 1 tsp -------- cinnamon 1/4 tsp ------ sea salt 1/4 cup ------ millet, toasted 1/2 cup ------ +carrot juice / -rice milk combination 2 tsp -------- vanilla extract 1/4 cup ------ oil (vegetable, avocado, walnut, light olive, etc) 1 Tbsp ------- flax, ground 1/2 cup ------ carrot juice 1/2 cup ------ carrot pulp 1 Tbsp ------- ginger, grated preheat oven to 350. in large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. re-constitute carrot pulp with carrot juice in equal proportion. add this to bowl of wet ingredients combine wet and dry until just mixed. pour thinly into oiled baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. pour thickly, and bake for 45 minutes. a knife should come out clean. namasté Posted 10:06 AM link
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soak dried beans Invite them to life. Seeds -- beans -- they are the stuff of life. Created by life, infused with life -- then protected and instructed to birth themselves later -- to come alive when conditions suit. There is no delay after mammalian fertilization. Life begins immediately in dark, moist wombs. Plant seeds must wait until they find their own moist, dark places. Seed germination is the birthing of life. To come alive, dried beans first need water. Light alone will not spark life. Life-bringing channels are restored only by water. Once breath is possible, life may begin. They grow -- Magic. Seeds convert simple starches into complex and brilliant forms. Even if halted after only a few hours, life will have begun. Soak beans, if possible, at least 8-24 hours. Then rest them, exposed to air, briefly before cooking. In contrast, to drop dry, patiently-waiting, beans into boiling water is to rob them, each, of a chance to live -- racing them from an unreadiness to breathe to the extinguishment of its very possibility. Consider the notion of softening beans, rather than beating them with heat -- of pushing gently on indigestable elements, rather than vanquishing the complex. Raise the water temperature gradually -- cook slowly -- allow life to leave as gently as it arrived. Retain that alchemical magic of life. Or to experience their full vitality, do not cook beans at all -- simply soak, sprout and eat. en matematica: (any life) x 0 = 0 (any life) x (0 < n < 1) = 0 < life < 1 (any life) x 1 = life To re-state: Life is what is so special here. Ingest vitality, and invite into our beings more life. Without life, we can slip into a realm where beans are lumps of nutrients -- the elements and minerals that comprise their form -- where the acts of growing, cooking and eating suggest a realm of mining plants for subsistence. A claim: Mining is disrespectful to life. Another: Respect for life is a universal love. namaste douglas (dedicated, please, to michael eakes) Posted 10:05 AM link
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hummus -- the ultimate beans *-723089.jpg) * no offense to other beans so versatile, so delicious, so hearty, so giving of themselves to you and me and flavors of the planet. please, meet: the garbanzo bean -- the chick pea -- Cicer arietinum -- or, in arabic and hebrew, hummus so what can one do with this taste of delicious earth? i first would like to offer my gratitude and love to those who have bestowed the elegant 'hummus bi tahini' recipe almost entirely unchanged through the course of cultivated millenia. and now, here are hummus: -- mix and mash, in a food processor, the garbanzo bean with: garlic, lemon, tahini, salt -- for the classic hummus bi tahini mentioned above, then drizzle with olive oil or omit any of the above and see what happens or perhaps add the garlic and salt, sauteed with red-pepper flaked swiss chard pistachio nuts (sparingly) add a richness that is often complimented by the presence of olives making a marinara sauce? skim off a few spoons to add to the hummus mix hold onto your parts, purists -- for a sweeter variation, think about maple syrup and/or orange juice, pomegranate molasses looking for an appropriate medium to include more ginger or coriander in your diet? aren't we all? am i yet illustrating a versatility? no lemons? i recommend apple cider vinegar to substitute, or omit it entirely and adjust accordingly have a spice grinder? experimenting with spice blends? see how they go over, or in, hummus. zatar is a favorite of mine. fresh herbs? thyme in a pot on your porch? yes. please. many claim that dehusking the chick peas before blending make for the creamy-best preparations i will tell you that sprouting the garbanzo beans prior to use makes for a positively electrifying dish some will say that canned chick peas are a meager substitute for the dried -> fresh variety. but they sure are ready when you are. and trader joes sells organic, two-serving cans, for $0.89 soaking and cooking dried beans is irreplaceable and magical. feel like you might want some hummus in the next couple days? put some beans in a bowl of water (filtered is preferred) and leave them there for as many as two days. add a bay leaf, maybe some fennel seed, or kombu to the pot for cooking. salt the hummous, not the water -- for softness. at its most obscene, the organic, dried, chick pea market asks about $1.50-$2.00 per POUND, the weight of which doubles or triples in water. and then the cook water is a great liquifying agent to achieve your perfect consistency. this beats 'can juice' which i drain and rinse away. soaking the beans is also step one of germination. canned beans do not sprout. and perhaps lastly for now, though i realize i have not even discussed applications with whole garbanzo beans (maybe just one -- try hummmus bi tahini unmashed) -- what if i do not keep tahini at home? then i cannot have baninis: organic bananas, rice milk, tahini, blended. viola! peace -- namasté douglasFrances Posted 9:14 AM link
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how will we perceive the world?The works created by human kind -- all human institutions -- must be measured primarily by the extent to which they ignore, inhibit, or foster: a mutually-enhancing human/earth relationship.-- Thomas Berry Posted 10:08 AM link
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what is meant by 'regenerative'?Regenerative means Healing -- in such a way that the life healed, may take better care of itself after, than ever before.<3 Posted 9:56 AM link
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how darlingly succinct"We need to shift to a cosmology that is Biocentric; Recovering; has a strong Gift Economy; and is Polycultural and Partnership-oriented. The value shift entails switching from endless, linear, more-is-better values of Profit, Power, Progress and Products to self-limiting, circular, enough-is-enough values of Nourishment, Fulfillment, Sustainability and Relationships, respectively."-- Dave Jacke Posted 12:04 PM link
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what is permaculture?
Posted 8:10 PM link
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Craft Good Health Through Re-UseTransform the season's detritus into a wrist pad for your computer desk. Gift yourself a Carpal Tunnel-free existence. INGREDIENTS: - wrapping paper tube - used wrapping paper or newspaper DIRECTIONS: - stuff paper into tube to level of desired resistance and support - place in front of your keyboard and mouse (optional) - decorate outside with paper, colors, old fabric. etc Posted 8:58 PM link
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Please watch this brilliant animation and help set a better course.350.org - 90-Second AnimationThank you. 350 is the number of parts per million that is 'generally' agreed upon as a not yet catastrophic level of CO2 in the atmosphere sufficient to unleash what will go from being called Climate Change to Climate Chaos. The atmosphere checks in now at 387 ppm of CO2. We have backtracking to do from here. This is a global campaign that is attempting to place the amount of carbon in the atmosphere into everyone's awareness and everyday lives. And i want to help. namasté Posted 11:38 AM link
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In the last 16 years..More than half of the United States has undergone a pronounced warming shift, enabling warmer climate plants to be grown north of their previous possible ranges. These geographical areas are known, horticulturally, as plant hardiness zones.The National Arbor Day Foundation has produced an updated map, visible below, detailing the changes of the last 16 years. (The banding depicted results from the 'middles' of the previous zones remaining in the same general category, while its geographic edges are overtaken from the South or pushed to the North.) Warming is here already. The good news: people in northern climates may enjoy a greater variety of homegrown fruits and vegetables. The bad: warming is an indicator of severe weather ahead. Global Warming sounds almost pleasant -- Climate Change, not so bad to those who still experience winter -- but when it presents itself clearly as Climate Chaos, we will be grateful for the food now growing in our gardens, the water we catch and store from the sky, and our close, loving communities. namasté 
Posted 11:27 AM link
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If my life was a garden, it could be made more sustainable and regenerative:-- by completing cycles of needs locally.-- with a community in place with which to grow, and share resources, hardships, and successes. -- by remaining in one place. -- by permitting self-feeding. -- by ensuring its food is healthy and vital. -- by checking aggression. -- by inviting entities with myriad contributions to join community. -- by utilizing the widest spectrum of available resources. -- by asking for help. Posted 10:56 PM link
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to halt global warming...our present national average of Carbon Dioxide release, per person, will have to drop by 90% -- from 22 tons of CO2 per person to 2.David Orr has called this our 'Great Work'. Posted 4:18 PM link
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garden party -- you are welcome please, RSVP if coming 2 days in advance. thank you. douglasFrances Posted 12:37 PM link
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late september garden
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what i doI aid people to lead healthy lives, which support & create Health in the communities and life around them. I work first in kitchens and gardens to root immediately the Home in the Earth that supports them.I plant native, sustenance-providing, and medicinal plant gardens that grow largely to sustain themselves. These gardens provide lush habitat, and an abundant source of fresh, local food. I also prepare delicious vegan meals in home kitchens by the night, and week -- so that households may be free to conduct themselves as they will, feeling their meals to be nutritious, delicious, restorative, and healing to the planet. Posted 9:14 PM link
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the leaf that eats like a meal the collard green Posted 8:20 AM link
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adopted landmeet the new berry patch and plant nursery: (for a before-and-after, look beyond, then near) Posted 8:16 AM link
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plant food live like food grew from trees Posted 10:28 AM link
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Steps to Heal the Earth ---------- Where You Are (or did you think we were trying to save the world?) Stop Spraying Chemicals and Poisons Compost Keep Organic Material On-Site Apply Sea Minerals with All Trace Elements Amend Ground with Natural Charcoal Plant Intentional Communities Foster Diversity thank you namasté Posted 6:58 AM link
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re-tooling mandala: mid july Posted 11:43 AM link
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Summer energy saving tip(passed on with kindness from Jeff Barrie and Kilowatt Ours)Use fans to circulate conditioned air. Use fans and adjust your thermostat to 80 degrees. Place traditional electric fans in front of your air-conditioning vents to propel the cool air around the house. You may oscillate the fan to spread the cool air all around the room! When you use fans to circulate the conditioned air, you can raise the temperature and feel just as comfortable, while using less electricity. According to the Georgia Environmental Facilities Association, by using fans, “For each degree that the thermostat is raised in summer, air conditioning costs will be lowered 3%-8%.” hooray for simple steps namaste Posted 7:58 PM link
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Two Worlds -- RumiThe breeze at dawn has secrets to tellDon't go back to sleep You must ask for what you really want Don't go back to sleep People are going back and forth across the doorsill ____ Where the two worlds touch ____ The door is round and open Don't go back to sleep. (thank you) Posted 12:15 PM link
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Great Pacific Garbage PatchWhat is twice the size of Texas (Texas!), is 80% plastic, weighs about 3.5 million tons, and only grows larger?the Great Pacific Garbage Patch  An area of circular currents in the ocean has accumulated debris from all lands that surround the Pacific, as well as its traversers. vbs.tv has produced a 12 part video series of a research crew visiting the North Pacific Gyre. how may each of us reduce the creation of this waste? a simple start includes these items: 
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wheel of fortune
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40 years passing -- Martin Luther King, Jr. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. -- MLK Posted 2:54 PM link
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millionaire's salad Reflections before Food: - I reflect on the work that brings this food before me - I reflect om my own imperfections - Allow self to remain free from preferences and greed - This food as an effective medicine to keep my body well - I accept this food so that I may fulfill my task of evolution namasté Posted 9:10 PM link
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happy Spring, everybodythe urban heat island delivers early :) namasté, darlings Posted 9:00 PM link
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wood chips and a dream -- food, not lawns -- and natives on the way you will be seeing more of this project. an ordinary lawn in central new jersey -- garden variety. Posted 8:53 PM link
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toward a shared visionor, 'Where from here?'the following is courtesy of The Earth Charter Initiative (www.earthcharter.org/): PRINCIPLES (by which to move forward) I. RESPECT AND CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF LIFE 1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity. a. Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings. b. Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity. 2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love. a. Accept that with the right to own, manage, and use natural resources comes the duty to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of people. b. Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good. 3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful. a. Ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential. b. Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible. 4. Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations. a. Recognize that the freedom of action of each generation is qualified by the needs of future generations. b. Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that support the long-term flourishing of Earth's human and ecological communities. In order to fulfill these four broad commitments, it is necessary to: II. ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY 5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life. 6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach. 7. Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard Earth's regenerative capacities, human rights, and community well-being. 8. Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the open exchange and wide application of the knowledge acquired. III. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE 9. Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative. 10. Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner. 11. Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity. 12. Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities. IV. DEMOCRACY, NONVIOLENCE, AND PEACE 13. Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency and accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making, and access to justice. 14. Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the knowledge, values, and skills needed for a sustainable way of life. 15. Treat all living beings with respect and consideration. 16. Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace. ---------- '... if only we had some idea about what it would like...' namasté shanti shanti peace peace Posted 1:07 AM link
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majora carter - Green the Ghettoa woman from the South Bronx brings down the house Posted 10:32 PM link
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smoothie in a minutethree ingredients:rice milk peanut butter carob molasses (the last is a product of the eastern Mediterranean -- the concentrate of carob seed pods and water -- available at Lebanese/Syrian/Middle Eastern importers) now and again, i think the best smoothies have just three ingredients. to keep them as fine, the number of ingredients seems to double. namasté Posted 1:41 PM link
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showing tender faces 'The Six Grandfathers have placed in this world many things -- all of which should be happy. Every little thing is sent for something -- and in that thing there should be happiness, and the power to make happy. Like the grasses showing tender faces to each other, thus we should do -- for this was the wish of the Grandfathers of the World.' - Black Elk of the Oglala Sioux Posted 11:00 AM link
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much maligned This is Tobacco -- specifically, Nicotiana rustica. 'Indian tobacco'. 'Mapacho'. So is this -- Nicotiana tabacum. 'Cigarette' tobacco. These are plants. Spirits of Earth.  (a few more words on Tobacco -- by request) Tobacco -- to borrow words sequenced by Walt Whitman composed for an alternate purpose -- relies upon itself, invites no one, promises nothing, sits in calmness and light, is positive and composed, and knows no discouragement. In close family relation to Indian tobacco, is a far milder sibling named Nicotiana tabacum -- a plant, on whose back personal and corporate fortunes have been raised and multiplied -- a plant, on whose back also has been laid centuries of blame and contempt. If the following offends, please forgive my effort to raise the weight and infamy off the body of this plant that never asked to be grown in great monocultures, or adulterated with chemical additives, and rolled with fiberglass and glue. Neither has this plant encouraged the commercial, global, marketed manipulation of human patterns and desire that inspires its misuse, nor has it asked to be treated with the paucity of respect with which it has been widely greeted (despite, many may say, strong and clear signals to the contrary). I will state, as authoritatively as modern medical science suggests I may, that the smoking of cigarettes kills. Their abuse has killed. And it will continue to kill. To personalize this admonition, I will state also that I lost my grandfather, William, to lung cancer. Nevertheless, they remain plants. They are magnificent species among the myriad families of Creation, and within the plant family, Solanaceae. Their singular, wondrous characters have been identified -- and verified -- independently, across cultures, lands, and time. This is no secret. And as a result, multitudes steer themselves well clear of the individuals -- and sometimes the whole family. Yet, in front of our personal decisions, legislative goals, international trafficking, cultural beliefs, fears, love, and respect, grow these plants -- as they have grown always -- before us. namasté you are fine Posted 11:19 PM link
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nightshades -- to some delicious, sacred, poisonous, magical, medicinal, deadly, scary, intense, special, delectable, psychotropic, dangerous Solanaceae -- the latin nomial of a plant family -- much loved -- and much maligned. Imagine being, if you please: as earthy and fine as Potatoes -- as tangy and versatile as Tomatoes -- as remarkable as Eggplants (of which, Turkish people alone have devised more than 1,000 preparations) -- as spicy and bold and Chiles, Peppers -- as fragrant and intoxicating as pure Tobacco -- and yet, because of the family (your family, if still role playing -- think aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents), entire diets, and groups of people, steer well clear of (you, and) all of the above, on principle, and more. Macrobiotic dieters, for instance, maintain such a profound respect for Solanaceae's stimulating properties (extreme Yin energy), they are simply excluded from regular dietary rotation. To be personally clear, I believe the Macrobiotic diet to be elegance incarnate -- delicately balanced, wholesomely conceived, and in able hands, positively delicious. Call it perhaps, then, a personal tendency, or leaning -- of mine -- to be wholly fascinated with the lot of Solanums. Tobacco is universally recognized, among the native peoples of the Americas, as sacred and healing. It is ostensibly first -- among offerings made to people, plants, and the earth itself. Its curative properties are present in all forms of the plant. The smoke itself is blown on the bodies of life to protect and heal those forms from abounding hazards. Brugmansia, pictured above, is associated with a selfish and generous spirit whose magnanimity is rarely felt without a dedicated allegiance to said plant and spirit. (Do not mess with). The center of genetic diversity for the Solanaceae family is Equatorial America, though its presence is global. This is of significance because the family has been largely undisturbed by the ice ages that slated clean, land under glaciers, and has had ages to adapt to the extreme ecological niches of the region. Simply phrased, the older and more adapted the line, the more creatively structured. The Solanaceae family is regarded botanically as narcissistic -- meaning leaf litter from within the family is especially appreciated as compost to other members growing locally. Allegiance seems to be a theme among nightshades -- human dependence is but one shade of this character. This is an extraordinary family -- with more to impart and share than human civilization will likely ever get around to embracing fully. Certainly, the Solanaceae are not to be trifled with. Their demanding nature, it seems, is one of the biggest obstacles to sustained, broadly experienced understanding. Virtually anything less than complete respect, and near subservience occasionally, may yield something akin to wrath. (Mercifully, the commonly edible varieties are gentler). I am but an admirer. An appreciator. A cultivator. An eater. Solanums to me are a fascination. I know them not at all, I report to you accurately. But I appreciate them with a divined awareness, and a certainty that, when near, I am in the presence of majesty. namasté  'Irish' (Andean) Potato flowers Posted 6:40 PM link
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Northeast Seafood GuideIf you will, sustainability trumps. Click above to enlarge. For the printable wallet reference guide, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch. Posted 9:50 AM link
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save a fish. roll your own.Let's consider the Bluefin Tuna. These magnificent creatures -- up to 12 feet long, weighing as much as 1,500 pounds, traveling in large schools, and deftly navigating the ocean at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour -- are commensurate with the American Bison in grandeur and largess. The relatively sudden collapse of Bluefin Tuna stocks is less apparent than the comparative disappearance of the bison -- at least in part because we do not share their deep blue home. Nevertheless, through a reckless combination of market demand, governmental subsidies, and overwhelming technological fishing advantage, the Bluefin Tuna population may be at less than 10 percent of its level measured in 1970 (to say nothing of where it may have been when giant Tunas were painted on walls of sacred caves at the dawn of history). Whole schools of Bluefin Tuna -- guided by evolution to surface for reproduction -- are spotted easily by airplanes searching for the giant silver creatures splashing and reflecting the sky. A call is quickly made to a fishing fleet on the water, which swiftly, and mechanically, encircles the school, and nets every fish -- up to 3,000 at a time. These fish will then likely be herded to penned sea ranches, and fed oily little fish to fatten them for market sale throughout the year. According to National Geographic Magazine the present rate of tuna harvesting is more than 4 times a remotely sustainable rate, and nearly as many times over and above the quotas and regulations drawn to protect the stock. These fish are deliberately overfished. Meanwhile, as the market is flooded with tuna all year, the return on each fish drops, inspiring the fishermen to catch more tuna. As consumers we may choose to withdraw our support from unsustainable industries and fisheries -- indeed, for the Bluefin Tuna, consumer choice is certainly more powerful than un-heeded, un-enforced legislation. For fisheries worldwide, the mere presence and operation of all 4 million-some fishing boats in the world -- more than double the necessary amount to fish within the oceans' means -- result in an insatiable drive that is crippling the oceans' ecosystems. No one has to give up sushi. But now, maybe rolling our own creatively makes more sense than ever. Have fun with it. Even the messies look cool:  Most folks have at least heard of these women -- now, you may watch Isa Chandra and Terry Hope roll sushi at home, in the Post Punk Kitchen. Posted 9:13 PM link
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hummus -- the ultimate beans** no offense to other beans so versatile, so delicious, so hearty, so giving of themselves to you and me and flavors of the planet. please, meet: the garbanzo bean -- the chick pea -- Cicer arietinum -- or, in arabic AND hebrew: hummus. (peace through hummus!) so what can one do with this taste of delicious earth? i first would like to offer my gratitude and love to those who have bestowed the elegant 'hummus bi tahini' recipe almost entirely unchanged through the course of cultivated millenia. and now, here are hummus: -- mix and mash, in a food processor, the garbanzo bean with: garlic, lemon, tahini, salt -- for the classic hummus bi tahini mentioned above, then drizzle with olive oil or omit any of the above and see what happens or perhaps add the garlic and salt, sauteed with red-pepper flaked swiss chard pistachio nuts (sparingly) add a richness that is often complimented by the presence of olives making a marinara sauce? skim off a few spoons to add to the hummus mix hold onto your parts, purists -- for a sweeter variation, think about maple syrup and/or orange juice, pomegranate molasses looking for an appropriate medium to include more ginger or coriander in your diet? aren't we all? am i yet illustrating a versatility? no lemons? i recommend apple cider vinegar to substitute, or omit it entirely and adjust accordingly have a spice grinder? experimenting with spice blends? see how they go over, or in, hummus. zatar is a favorite of mine. fresh herbs? thyme in a pot on your porch? yes. please. many claim that dehusking the chick peas before blending make for the creamy-best preparations i will tell you that sprouting the garbanzo beans prior to use makes for a positively electrifying dish some will say that canned chick peas are a meager substitute for the dried -> fresh variety. but they sure are ready when you are. and trader joes sells organic, two-serving cans, for $0.89 soaking and cooking dried beans is irreplaceable and magical. feel like you might want some hummus in the next couple days? put some beans in a bowl of water (filtered is preferred) and leave them there for as many as two days. add a bay leaf, maybe some fennel seed, or kombu to the pot for cooking. salt the hummous, not the water -- for softness. at its most obscene, the organic, dried, chick pea market asks about $1.50 per POUND, the weight of which doubles or triples in water. and then the cook water is a great liquifying agent to achieve your perfect consistency. this beats 'can juice' which i drain and rinse away. soaking the beans is also step one of germination. canned beans do not sprout. and perhaps lastly for now, though i realize i have not even discussed applications with whole garbanzo beans (maybe just one -- try hummmus bi tahini unmashed) -- what if i do not keep tahini at home? then i cannot have baninis: organic bananas, rice milk, tahini, blended. viola! peace -- namaste douglas Posted 4:50 PM link
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pilaf constructionfragrant seeds and pepper (toasted) olive oil collard stems onions garlic carrots collard greens + grains and beans (cooked ahead) scallionsremember: this is flexible and versatile cooking. some semblance of sequence rewarded, sure. but this can be anything. Posted 12:33 PM link
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evolution
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agrarian hero, Wendell Berry "Industrialism separated utility and beauty. If a thing was functional, it didn't make any difference how it looked, and I think you can only go so far with that. If a thing is ugly, I think we need to ask questions about it. How did it get that way? What else is wrong?" excerpted from Heifer International's 'World Ark' Posted 3:47 PM link
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public service -- consumer marketinga.k.a. junk mailthere exists a company that, when commissioned, delivers our names, addresses, and unique demographic information to companies desiring to expand their consumer base. this same company makes it quite easy to omit one's name from their list of out-going addresses. simply e-mail them at this address:  .. with 'opt out' in the the subject line, and your name and address below (or addresses if you've moved recently)namasté Posted 8:20 AM link
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lean on plants. ----------- cooking for substance, cooking for flavor ----------- American cooking wisdom holds that garlic flavors food. So does olive oil. Be cautious however, accepted wisdom continues, about using too much of either -- one repels loved ones (supposedly), the other bears fat. I say cook generously - with substance - and endow meals with a plant-based heart. The small step from cooking for flavor, to cooking for substance and flavor, is the same small step between cooking and successful vegan cooking. As it is said, particularly when a given dish calls for few ingredients, to ensure that the ingredients procured are of excellent quality, so too is it true, that when there is no meat or dairy on which to lean, the presence of just one clove of garlic, or a tablespoon of olive oil, becomes scant and cheap. In a supportive vegan diet, garlic, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chard stems, pine nuts, (etc.) are no longer simply flavor accents -- rather, they are indeed that which supports us. lean on plants. remember to thank them for leaning back. namasté why vegan? again Posted 9:23 PM link
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whole grains, plant foods diet shown to reverse ovulatory infertility According to Harvard University researchers, ovulatory infertility, which is responsible for 1/4 or more of all infertility cases, may be treated, cured or reversed, by eating a diet of whole grains (slowly digested, complex carbohydrates) and plant-based proteins. The study points out, as well, the obvious bonuses such a simple course of treatment provides: it is inexpensive; there are no (negative) side effects; it sets the stage for a healthy pregnancy, as well as a healthy diet for life; and, it reduces the likelihood of the onset of gestational diabetes. Harvard's Nurses' Health Study found clear and significant links between the consumption of, 'fast carbs', trans-fats, and animal proteins -- with ovulatory infertility. Refined, white foods, with high sugar and simple carbohydrate levels, disrupt hormonal balance |
