Eating, Organically

When I commented last week about the shortcomings of the industrial organic movement, I must have been prodded by an invisible email from the collective unconscious. Unbeknown to me, on Halloween, some blogs lit up their pumpkins with news of a 4-year study conducted at Newcastle University in the UK that reported on the health benefits of organically-grown foods over conventionally-grown foods. Specifically, the study found that, on average, organic fruits and vegetables contain up to 40% more antioxidants than their conventional counterparts. While there have been several studies completed on this topic, many of the results were considered to be suspect or inconclusive. The importance of this study was that the trials for the organic and non-organic foods were completed on adjacent fields under as-identical-as-possible environmental conditions. And the results were in favor of organics.

The last thing I want to do is discourage people from eating healthier foods; if my previous article seemed to be knocking organics, my apologies. I try to operate on the principle of harm reduction: if you are not eating vegetables, then eating vegetables of any kind is a step in the right direction. If you eat mostly frozen vegetables, then eating fresh vegetables is a good move. If you eat mostly fresh vegetables, then you will taste the difference with organic vegetables. If you eat only organic vegetables - well, then you are who my article was aimed at. Many people have blindly thrown their hopes for a sustainable world into the organic egg basket. Organic is better, but it is not the best possible. So, eat your organic vegetables and be healthier.

What I was attempting to elucidate in my last post is that, if 'organic' is your sole criterion for selecting foods in a sustainable fashion, then you need to keep looking further down the rabbit hole. Organic is better for your health than conventional foods. But organic food production is not necessarily better for our soils, air, and water supplies. Like those organic bananas? They're better for you than the conventional ones, but they both make the same journey from the global South to the global North using the same fossil fuels for ship fuel and refrigeration. They're both picked green and held at low temperatures for 3-4 weeks during shipping, so they lack the same flavor and nutritional potential that locally-grown foods can achieve.

Where our food comes from is just as important as how it is produced.

Nourishment is not about convenience. Eating is not a chore. Our bodies are not calorie machines.

We need to take part in our food preparation. Alice Waters is often chastised for being pretentious and unrealistic. I worked for her on-and-off for four years, and while it is true that passion for connecting with food can be taken to a level of snobbery, especially when you charge the prices that she does, it is also true that this is something we can all do. I work, I have (several) projects, I am busy - yet I cook 95% of our meals from scratch using organic/sustainably-grown produce purchased from people that I have a relationship with - and cheaply! My girlfriend and I have been on a tight budget, but we've been eating great off of $40/week for the both of us (granted, we have a stocked pantry of dry goods like rice, lentils, oils, spices, etc. to fall back on in tight times like these - but supplement that with two smart $20 trips to the farmers' market twice a week and you'll be eating more than well.)

We need to get back to the table. We need to give ourselves the skills to take care of ourselves and each other. Learning how to cook will not only make you more independent, but it will also make you a more critical eater, which will make going out to eat (when you do it) a more engaging and enjoyable experience. There is no short-cut to learning how to cook; just do it, and often. The more you do it, the better you get.

Here's my cooking tip for the day, as it is beginning to feel like Fall outside (finally!): Making Your Own Vegetable Stock. Fall and Winter is an ideal time for rich, hearty vegetable soups and stews using nearly any and all root vegetables and greens. The key to making them super-flavorful is (no, not to use nasty-processed-chicken broth with tons of sodium) to make your own vegetable stock. This is a great way to get all of the mileage and nutritional benefit out of your vegetables and to add flavor to your dishes. Just be sure to know where you're getting your vegetables from, as any residue on the vegetable skins will end up in the stock (use a ladle to remove the layer of 'scum' that forms on top when you make any kind of stock). This is one of seven TV commercials I shot for the local PBS-affiliate about farmers' markets and fresh foods. (Disregard the cheez-factor, it's for television.)

Eat well. And please, share your comments. Got a recipe for a killer winter soup?




Here's the easiest soup in (my) book. It takes 30 minutes, start to finish, and can be made with as little as two ingredients (onions and squash):

Simple Squash Soup

1 winter squash: butternut, kabocha, or delicata
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
Local olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Water
Additions: 1 bunch cilantro, fresh ginger (if available locally), lentils

Sauté the chopped onion on medium-high heat in a small amount of olive oil. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and peel the squash (not necessary, but makes a nice puree if you do). Once the onions have browned, add the garlic (and ginger if using) and stir for one or two minutes. Add the cubed and peeled squash (and lentils if using) and sauté for one minute more. Cover with water, add salt, bring to a low boil and cover for 20-30 minutes. Once the squash is soft, blend using an immersion blender or small batches in a countertop blender. Blend the cilantro into the soup, if using.

To control the thickness of this soup (since it doesn't use a heavy cream like most butternut bisques), adjust the water level (more for thinner soup, less for thicker). Also, the stems from the cilantro bunch act as a thickener if blended into the soup.

This makes a great complete meal if lentils are used in the soup and a pile of steamed kale or chard is placed in the bowl upon serving. A warm piece of whole grain bread goes well, too.

Be sure to save the squash seeds when hollowing out the cavity. Toss in a little oil and roast in the oven for a few minutes. They're not only delicious by themselves or on top of the soup, but they are also beneficial for men in protecting against prostate cancer.