Good Food is Everybody's Business
Organically grown, local, whole, affordable, planetary stewardship, food justice, sustainably farmed, humanely raised and slaughtered, slow cooked and seasonally eaten, nutritionism, vegan, healthy lifestyle – these are just some of the words that come to mind around the conversation of How, What, When, and Where we eat these days. There is so much to talk about, and these words do not exist in isolation from one another.
Baking pies – pizza or apple – doesn’t need to be tricky or intimidating! Some flour, some salt, some water, maybe some yeast or fat, and there you go. Start with the best ingredients you can find and you can’t go wrong.
Miso and lamb chops – that combination of words, flavors, and images can bring one up short. When I hear “miso” I immediately think of sushi and a small bowl of broth. And the thought of lamb chops never connects me to Japan and Japanese cuisine. However in Japan, lamb chops are as much of a special treat as they are here in the US. It turns out that miso, sesame, garlic, and ginger are a great combination to give a terrific flavor to the tender chops.
One more stop on the Lentil Underground, Seattle’s Town Hall hosted Liz Carlisle, author of the book Lentil Underground, and farmer/businessman David Oien, CEO and co-owner of Timeless Seeds/Timeless Natural Food, as they work their way across the US introducing – and reintroducing – consumers and chefs to these amazing little seeds.
Finally we are hearing it from real farmers. We need to re-discover “The Principles of Ecology” and apply them — NOW!
Far from a useless pursuit, agroecology simply delivers farming science at an appropriate scale without delusions of instant power and wealth. And when left to mature, agroecology programs can be rewarding to all involved.
Even as we face globalization (and standardization) of nearly every element of our lives, including the food we eat, there are between 25 and 27 million small and medium independent companies working separately to deliver us diversity and quality. It’s time we recognized the value that these businesses deliver to us, and to our communities.
Throughout the U.S. borderlands, a diverse group of people have come up with innovative solutions to mend our broken food system.
