Greetings!
February is a short month, this will be a short newsletter! I’m busy researching chocolate (yum!) while I continue to write my little booklet on cholesterol. It can be hard for me to stay focused because emails continue to fly in about environmental and school food challenges. I’ll be out on the road this month to address both. I’m also continuing to work one on one with many of you in person or over the phone.
This month still requires us to stay at a slower pace as we wait for spring. It’s a good time to look at seed catalogs and place your order. By the end of this month spring will be in our sights, the days are already getting longer.
Here’s wishes for a happy and healthy February
Susan 🙂
| Chocolate 101: Februrary 7th 2-4pm |
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 I’ve had lots of fun doing “research” for this upcoming class on Chocolate at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health in NYC. To Register for the class, call the school at 212-645-5170 or send an email to info@naturalgourmetschool.com Is chocolate really healthy? Well, maybe…. Join me as I search for the answer to this important question. We will trace chocolate’s journey through time from its Mayan origins to colonial Europe into the present day; examine how a cacao pod becomes a chocolate bar; and review chocolate’s nutritional value and effect on digestion. We’ll also take a look at the politics surrounding chocolate, separate current health claims from hype, and marvel at how intimately this luscious food is entwined with guilt and pleasure. You will taste and practice principles of mindful eating with melt-in- your-mouth dark chocolates from different producers around the world. |
| Fixing our Food System Means Getting our Hands Dirty. |
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 Peanut butter is back in the news, its the most recent food product to be recalled due to salmonella contamination. Last year we saw recalls of ground burger meat, scallions, spinach, dog food and even baby food. These recalls are really “wake up calls” about our broken food system. How can we fix this broken system? By getting our hands back into the soil and growing some of our own food. The Earth Box is a great system to start some veggies on your deck. If you have more space or deer, you might want to consider a Teich Garden System. I’ve been advocating locally and nationally for more veggie gardens. I’m thrilled to be in really good company on the Eat the View website. To find me, scroll down past many of my heroes, Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Joan Gussow and Bill McKibben. I’m right after Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food “Eat the View” is coordinated by Kitchen Gardeners International a Maine-based 501c3 nonprofit network of 10,000 gardeners from 100 countries who are inspiring and teaching more people to grow some of their own food. “Eat the View!” won the Grand Prize in the OnDayOne.org contest. I hope to be on that White House lawn when the Obama family breaks ground on their new veggie garden! |
| February Recipe: Chocolate Beet Cake |
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 I had too many beets this week from my winter time CSA so I made this cake which can be found in the Farmer John’s Cookbook.The Real Dirt on Vegetables from one of my favorite food movies, The Real Dirt on Farmer John ( see the link in the quick links section) Ingredients Preheat oven to 375 lightly coat a Bundt or tube pan with oil and dust with some flour. Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts; remove from heat and stir until well combined. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla. Sift the all purpose flour and the whole-wheat pastry flour into a large bowl. stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture just until flour is mixed in. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. |
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Connecting the Dots Between Food & Environment
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| I’ve taken my food advocacy work to a new level this year. Last month, I held a Healthcare Policy Public Discussion for the Obama/Biden transition team. Thanks to those of you who took the time to meet and discuss issues.
This month, I’ll be teaching a workshop at the North East Real Food Summit. My organization, Better School Food has donated 10 scholarships for high school students across the region to attend the summit. What’s ahead for March? I’m heading down to Washington DC for Power Shift 2009 Power Shift 2009 will bring 10,000 young people to Washington to hold our elected officials accountable for rebuilding our economy and reclaiming our future through bold climate and clean energy policy. Buses and carpools will be bringing college students from all over the country to Power Shift. What does all this environmental activism have to do with food? The connection is simple – the health of America’s eaters depends on the health of the food and agriculture system. We must build the Food IQ beyond the “foodies” and nutritionists to include every eater in the U.S. I’ve said this before, cooking and democracy are not spectator sports! What are YOU doing to roll up your sleeves and get involved? Here are some book recommendations to get you started: The End of Food by Paul Roberts |
