It’s not all doom and gloom, not just yet! I know I tend to report the bad news like a broken record, but believe me, it’s because it is bad, and with peak oil, water & food shortages, overpopulation…and the dopey monkey still in the WH, it doesn’t augur well, and I haven’t even mentioned Global Warming! Some posters went as far to suggest that being in the richest and mightiest country in the world, not much will happen to the food chain. Well, if you’re the head of Exxon or somewhere in that super rich league, yes, you’ll still have plenty to eat, but for the rest of us, the hoi polloi, we’ll have to find interesting ways to make ends meet within the next two decades.
Scouring the “Internets”, I have come up with news that are mostly good news. Not many but then again, I never promised you a rose garden.
How to eat healthily on the cheap:
Sure, if you’re bank rolling, it’s no problem to buy omega 3-laden salmon steaks, fresh vitamin-packed fruits and vegetables, and drink anti-oxidant rich red wine, but what if you’re on a budget? College students, large families, even bloggers like myself, don’t always have the luxury of eating healthily because it’s so much cheaper to eat…fast food. Source
Amaranth: a Healthy Grain for Vegetarian Recipes:
Amaranth (Amaranthus) has a colorful history, is highly nutritious, and the plant itself is extremely attractive and useful. Amaranth was a staple in the diets of pre-Columbian Aztecs, who believed it had supernatural powers and incorporated it into their religious ceremonies. With recipes! Source
The Goods on Sangria, with recipe:
What exactly is sangria and why is it so named? Why are there so many different ways to make it and who were the first people to enjoy this popular drink? When did Americans discover this refreshing summer libation? The answer to these and other questions lies below. So take a sip, savor, lean back and enjoy. Source
Eating Less Energy Dense Food Helps Cut Calories:
It is not a coincidence that when people go for diet counseling as a way to lose weight, one of the first recommendations is to increase intake of fruits and vegetables. Traditionally, fruits and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and often fiber, and so it just makes sense to have them as part of a good diet. Source
Green supermarkets – the way of the future:
A wave of ‘green’ supermarkets is set to hit Australia as supermarkets begin to tackle alarming emission rates. The concept, which follows similar commitments by European supermarkets, primarily revolves around the improvement of refrigeration systems to lower global warming potential of refrigerants. Source
Organics & the Recession: Saving Money on Organic Food:
As food prices continue to soar, consumers might find it tough to swallow premium prices for organic products. But you can save money if you’re smart about buying organics. Organic means the food is produced without pesticides, chemical fertilizers or antibiotics and generally emphasizes using renewable resources and conserving soil and water. Source
Food Safety Fears Transform Consumer Choices:
Over half of consumers have stopped eating certain foods, either temporarily or permanently, as a direct result of food safety fears, according to Deloitte. The survey, commissioned by the firm’s consultancy arm, demonstrated how food safety faces ever-growing scrutiny in the US, with highly-publicized food recalls and safety scares from China preying on consumers’ minds. Concern about safety was found to be particularly high in regards to meat products as well as food imported from outside of the States. Source
FoodNews offers users interactive tools and a downloadable shoppers guide to reduce the number of pesticides in their diets:
The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005. A detailed description of the criteria used in developing the rankings is available as well as a full list of fresh fruits and vegetables that have been tested. Source
5 Comments
Great links. I love this kind of info.
My favourite Sangria a la Cha Cha Cha Restaurant in SF
Combine : 1 orange in 1/2″ slices, 1 lemon sliced, 1 C sugar, 1 bottle dry white wine, 1 bottle dry red wine in large glass bowl or pitcher. Stir for several minutes, cover and refrigerate overnight. Add some sliced seasonal fruit like peaches, grapes, strawberries, green apples, pears and some Gin or Grand Mariner or Brandy to taste. Mix, refrigerate for about an hour and serve as is or add ice in the glass. Garnish with fruit or mint (chocolate mint is especially nice in the fall and winter).
I spent my lunch hour at the Wednesday farmers market here in downtown Portland. The place was packed, I came away with a large quantity of fabulous super-fresh produce for a fair price, I spoke to the farmers (one of them sold me a tomato plant) and nobody looked at me oddly when I brought my fava beans and my tiny gold potatoes to the scale in my hands, in order to avoid taking home more bags.
The world may be falling apart at the seams, but on Wednesday mornings in the Park Blocks, it still feels like a pretty damn lovely place!
We’re not staring at the abyss…yet! We still have some good years ahead.
And yet, you take off those rose-colored specs, you can sure the abyss staring at you.
Yes, but we can enjoy the people we meet and the scenery around us and the food we eat while we are here.
We went to the Farmer’s Market last Sunday and our framer’s we regularly trade with asked us where we’d been the weekend before. It was really nice of them to notice. Good people all and trying to do the right thing here, too.
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