Meatless Monday and the mindblowing legume

Meatless Monday: Black eyed peas, brown rice, roasted potatoes and kale - I'm getting good at this!

I can’t praise more highly the humble bean. Jack knew what was what when he traded the family cow for magic beans.

My birthday is in January, and Zach took me on a surprise trip to a cabin in West Virginia. Hot tub, screened porch, gas fireplace, soft bed. Need I say more? We got snowed in. Best. Birthday. Ever. On our way to the cabin, we stopped at a grocery store nearby for foodstuffs (I forgot to mention the kitchen). In addition to breakfast items and popcorn, we bought steaks and as an easy side, a can of black eyed peas. Later, when snow had locked us into our winter retreat, I cooked that can of beans to accompany the steaks and they tasted so heavenly.

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A humble list, in no particular order of things that make me happy

Recently I had a conversation with someone I have not known long, and after mentioning some of the activities I had planned for the weekend, they replied, “How do you do all that?” I  made an offhand remark about making time by eliminating chores like laundry and dishes from my daily routine. (If only that were a joke…) I thought about what she said though, and why these varied activities are a part of my life. The reason is, they make me happy. In fact, one my earliest posts on this blog was about the capacity for happiness. We all have things we do because they enhance our lives – and if you don’t have these things, I’m willing to bet you’re not a very happy person.

Une petit prince: Adding what is needed; taking away what is not.

That’s not to say that activities equal happiness. There is a yin to this yang – Antoine du Saint-Exupery (The Little Prince) wrote, “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Part of happiness is balance of doing and not doing. The list of things I don’t do is much longer than this humble list, in no particular order, of things that make me happy.

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Circular systems and making dirt

One thing (of the many) that I liked about the film Food, Inc. was the empowering ending – a very appealing and moving set of suggestions, ways I can change my habits to improve my own food and affect change to the entire food system. One of those recommendations is to eat more locally – buy produce from farmer’s markets. Check.

This makes gardens happy!

One thing (of the many) that I liked in the book The Town That Food Saved was the authors description of a healthy food system as a circular system rather than a linear one. (Circular systems feed back into each other: eat food from plants, return food scraps to soil as compost, soil nourishs plants, eat food from plants. Linear systems do not replenish themselves: buy petroleum to fertilize crops, feed crops to animals/drive produce to market, process animals in a plant/sell produce in markets, eat animals/crops, dispose of waste… buy more petroleum). How can I possibly “check” that?

I think I found a way – not necessarily to make a fully circular system, but at least to put a little curve in my personal food chain. Common Good City Farm. Just one neighborhood over from mine, Common Good City Farm is chugging away on its

Mission to grow food, educate, and help low-income DC community members meet their food needs. Our Vision is to serve as a replicable model of a community-based urban food system.

And one awesome way they do that is to run a community composting program. Anyone can (following their guidelines) bring suitable waste to the garden’s composting bins. All the compost they make is used on their garden, which in turn provides fresh fruits and vegetables for the low-income residents of the Shaw area. (You can also volunteer and donate, both of which are great ways to contribute to the health of those most in need of nutritious food and the longevity of programs like this that help provide it.)

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My first book review

Sometimes when you learn a new word, you suddenly see that word everywhere, as if the universe converged to congratulate you for learning it. I’ve had a similar convergence around the issues of sustainable food. It isn’t really that the word appears everywhere – it was always there, you just never noticed before.

Much like the book I stumbled across in a box of books donated to the school where I work. Until recently I’d have never noticed it. But given what I’ve been learning, I could not possibly have missed it: The Town That Food Saved: How One Rural Community Found Vitality in Local Food. Moreover, it was an advance copy – the uncorrected paperback versions publishers send out to book stores and reviewers in advance of the book’s publication. Turns out my little read only came out last month, so my review here is even timely!

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Five links to get you knee deep in food news

So this week I talked to Robert Kenner. (The director/producer of Food, Inc.)

Impressed?!

OK, it was not exactly an exclusive interview, but I did ask him a question and he did answer me. PBS’s great POV program (“documentaries with a point of view”) which aired the much-hyped PBS broadcast of Food, Inc. last week. POV hosted an online chat with Kenner on Tuesday, that I happened to find out about just in time to participate. “Viewers” could submit questions (I’m assuming these were moderated, because they were all good questions and no overlap but maybe PBS viewers are just a cut above…)

My “interview” went like this:

[question from Katie W.] Mr. Kenner, what sources would you recommend to stay current on news and changes in sustainable food issues?

[Robert Kenner] Katie, I think there are certain sites you should visit (there are many more but this will get you into the world).

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