Thirsty for a simpler way of life

The CBC reports that the bottled water industry is also suffering from the economic downturn. Don't feel bad Toronto, our water is tested by the City every 4 to 6 hours for bacteria levels. I like the new term, "economic reset" experts in the media are using for the recession. I think it's true at some level. People are going to be more conscious of how they spend their pocket money and the bottled water industry will be one of the early fatalities of the transformation. At least in places where public water sources are safe to drink.

This latest Time Magazine cover story links the economy to North America's waistline in a precise way, grounding the concept of "excess" in all the ways we are practicing it since the 80s. The optimism in this article by Kurt Anderson gives hope by rationalizing the randomness of the global market as it stands today. We are headed for simpler times and I for one am looking forward to it. Eating a diet high in homemade foods from local sources is a way of simplifying your life that is rising in popularity, making the spring season all the more exciting in Ontario! Fiddleheads and ramps and asparagus, Mmmm.

go...go...GO!

The sun is out! I saw three things in the park yesterday that made me smile and love spring more than ever:
1) A little girl riding her bike, her dad's hand firmly gripping the seat
2) Art students taking pictures of each other by a Sicamore tree
3) People eating ice cream outside

Get outside!

Soft Boiled Accoutrements

I see a naked egg.
It was hard to find the right picture that would portray the perfect soft boiled egg, like the one Toni Morrison describes in Song of Solomon... the character Pilate Dead said the whites shouldn't move and the yolk should be like velvet. This is close.

What a perfect recession meal: the simple egg. At about $6 a carton for the cream of the crop organic free range dozen, the most an egg could cost is 50 cents. An egg puts you on the way to a pretty decent and versatile choice of options and is rich with vitamins, minerals and protein.

What prompted this topic is that I finally perfected the soft boil in my electric steamer. Straight from the fridge you are 10 minutes away from bright orange, unctuous, velvet yolk and tender cooked white. I'm not really an "egg cup and toast soldiers" kind of woman. I prefer to quickly remove the egg from its shell (careful not to break the just cooked whites) and top it with whatever I have in the fridge that might be nice. I was on a olive oil and Greek oregano kick for a while, suggested by my friend Helen. I was lucky this morning to have a bit of leftover duck fat and a dusting of truffle salt. Delicious!

Of course just a little butter, pepper and salt will do just fine... this did start out as a recession meal option after all.

Less fishy business

I like fish... fresh, tinned, smoked, steamed, grilled, baked en papillote, in a taco... you get the idea. Canadians have been told for sometime now to eat fish as a source of essential fatty acid omega 3 for better heart health, cancer prevention and autoimmune diseases. Today the CBC shared that a Canadian Medical Association Journal is publishing a report today asking whether telling the public to eat more fish is sustainable.

Why the sudden turnaround?
1- Overfishing has endangered and killed entire species causing an increase in world trade (so poor countries export to rich ones), in some cases leaving only fish heads and bones for East Africans to eat
2- Fish farms contaminate wild fish with parasites and it takes up to 5kg of small feeder fish to grow only 1kg of farmed fish (which may contain more carcinogenic PCBs than wild fish)
3- Health benefits of eating fish are dubious since previous research may not have done a thorough job of controlling for lifestyle factors, i.e., people who eat lots of fish may have other healthy habits contributing to their good health status

Luckily Canadians can look to Sea Choice's "Canada's Seafood Guide". It's a wallet sized guide of sustainable seafood choices you can refer to in the grocery store or your favourite restaurant.

How can we maintain heart health then? Go for a walk. Eat some flax. Laugh.

A New Name for Stevia

In another episode on how the food industry blurs the line between natural and unnatural ingredients, I bring you a little story on stevia, the flower of which is pictured here. Stevia has long been used as a sugar substitute easily obtained from health food stores in Canada and I'll admit I've sweetened many a cup of tea with the saccharine nectar. This product is not without controversy however. The EU is unsatisfied with the safety of stevia consumption to the point of a ban, citing possible mutogenic effects targeting male fertility health. On the other side of the coin it's easy to find claims for stevia's blood sugar levelling effects. The Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo have discovered its usefulness in sweetening their low calorie beverages, calling the ingredient "Reb-A", according to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune. It's interesting to see quotes in this article by industry spokespeople regarding the undesireable flavour profile of stevia and it goes on to describe how they combine derivatives of stevia (my first problem) with other natural flavours which act as salt and pepper to adjust the taste. My point is this: stevia is fine how nature made it, and the urge to make it better (as in tasteless) and to use it to sweeten juice of all things is a waste of science.

Gleaning Scheme

Today I learned about gleaning from a fast growing NGO in Toronto called Not Far From the Tree. It boggles the mind that this group picked over 3000 lbs of free fruit last summer from a single city ward, the fightin' 21st! Councillor Joe Mihevc has been doing some great things uptown especially with the Wychwood Barns Art Project, opened only three months ago. Reading up on the history of gleaning and the way it manifests now in our urban center reminds me of the Harris days when I used to depend on food banks for occasional supplements. I remember coming home one day with three cans that had no labels on them, only to find that they were gravy, something I had never seen in a can before. Also, canned gravy is not better than no gravy, in my humble opinion. If the Daily Bread Food Bank got in on this gleaning scheme, they could really be doing something great for their clients. It may be idealistic to think that the unwanted fruit growing in the city could help our hungry but it sure beats mystery cans. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to picking pears, apricots and mullberries this summer. I hope NFFTT can use one more volunteer... excuse me, I have a neighbourhood to canvass. Amber out.

Farm in the City?

I went to a riveting City Council meeting which hosted an expert panel on urban agriculture. Not everyone agrees about the environmental benefits of eating local foods, but the crowd at this meeting was thinking beyond the carbon footprint of shipping apples from New Zealand versus Niagara. This is about improving the quality of life for Ontario farmers and job creation in our struggling province. It's about learning and teaching food growing skills with neighbours, improving our urban physical environment and taking advantage of the most fertile soil in Canada. Debbie Field from Foodshare made a convincing plea to Council to stop saying 'no' to community gardens and other urban agriculture initiatives. I felt her tactic of giving out local organic apples and pea sprouts grown at CAMH (the only urban garden permitted a commercial market stall in our fair city) was effective. Councillor Paula Fletcher paused the hearing for a second serving... who could blame her after being in that packed and windowless room for three hours? I opened my bag of pea shoots for a snack and the smell that wafted up was a delicious reminder of summer in Ontario.

I (heart) duck fat

I made my first batch of Potatoes Sarladaises last night, by Jennifer McLagan's new book Fat (mentioned in my last post). They were outstanding!

Duck fat is about the same price as butter but has less saturated fat and a delicious umami flavour. I bought mine at Cumbrae's on Church St., a small container was only $2.99, and used about half of it to fry 3 cubed, rinsed and dried russett potatoes.

Along with a couple of side salads and a whole baked Ontario trout, this was one dinner that I wished would never end. I'm looking forward to my next foray into this book. The miso and orange roasted pork belly is calling my name...

The Obama Effect and Butter

Today, along with millions, I watched Barack Obama's presidential inauguration. Is this really the dawn of a new global community? It feels that way this afternoon by his words. What I admired most was his invitation to act. The vision of a more peaceful, productive and prosperous world has become palpable. The atmosphere is hopeful that ideas and integrity will once again be valued rightly over fame and wealth.

Another point of interest was when President Obama said he wants to restore science to its rightful place. Is it a coincidence that a renewed appreciation for science and accountability is coming at the same time as a renewed appreciation for animal fats such as butter and lard?

Food scientists, I'm talking to you- what will you do if not manufacture food substitutes and their offspring- texture modifiers, flavour enhancers, colours, stabilizers and the like...?

Will we North Americans buy cloned meat or heirloom seeds under Obama's rule? Will our choices be dictated by economics, nutrition or taste?