Health, food. Health, food. Health, food.

Health, food. Health, food. Health, food. Let’s say it three times slowly and maybe someone will listen.  Corporations, it seems, are listening, as reported in the NY Times business section yesterday.

Getting people, companies, organizations and governments to make change because it’s the right thing to do rarely works.  You know what does work? Showing them the money. A company will go green if it will save them money on their electric or heating bill, for example.  Similarly, employers will provide wellness programs (such as serving healthy food in company cafeterias), if it can be proven that it will save them money on health care costs.

You know who really needs to save money right now?  And you know who happens to be discussing how to reform health care in order to fix a bunch of things including how much it costs? Ohhhhhh never mind, you get the picture….

A Place for Thanksgiving

by intern Grace Mitchell

When I lived in Paris, I received a kind recommendation to dine at a little place called Thanksgiving.  Among other American delicacies, I was told I could eat a wonderfully luscious pumpkin pie.  That was all fine and nice, but…living in Paris, I had much more inclination and desire to eat pains au chocolat before pumpkin pie.  So I had no need to visit Thanksgiving.

Until, that is, I was invited to a Thanksgiving potluck and received my assigned contribution of cranberry relish.  As a fruit native to North America, cranberries are hard to come by in Europe.  But in Paris, so much abounds—and I was told to make a trip to Thanksgiving (a shop as well as a restaurant) to find some red glistening American imports.

I arrived at Thanksgiving where stood an entire freezer filled with Ocean Spray cranberries.  Thanksgiving also stocked marshmallow sandwich spread fluff, condensed milk, Kraft macaroni and cheese, Betty Crocker blueberry muffin mix, and pop tarts, among myriad other prized American foods.

Bah!  I was so ashamed!  There I was in Paris, one of the pinnacles of glorious and history-steeped cuisine, and I had walked into the Thanksgiving store filled with fake foodstuffs from the United States, which no doubt existed to satisfy the oddly constructed palates of American ex-pats.  I found myself horridly embarrassed to hail from a country with such a vile collection of revered foods.  At least I was purchasing fresh and unadulterated cranberries.

Well.  Not really.  Witnessing those cranberries juxtaposed with so much food that had been tweaked, skewed, stripped, mottled, damaged, realigned, misaligned, hydrogenised, dehydrated, re-hydrated and so forth made me realize that those cranberries hadn’t had such a virtuous existence either.  For all I knew, they grew from the far away state of Washington, only to end their bulbous lives with consumption by someone on the other side of the world in Paris—for the sake of unalterable tradition.

That is what makes Thanksgiving special for many people:  the comfort-laden traditions manifest in the food and recipes we share that day.  That is why we insisted on eating cranberries in Paris—because that was a tradition common to many of us.

But Thanksgiving is more about celebrating the joy in where we are at that moment, who we are with that day, and the harvest and bounty around us in that place.  In our supermarketed world of today, we often forget to celebrate the latter, at least in its true sense.  We didn’t need to have cranberries in Paris; there was plenty of food in Paris on which we could have feasted, and that would have celebrated the fact that we were having Thanksgiving in a different land.  Those cranberries had become an emblem of superfluous excess and silly nostalgia.  Oh, sure, I love cranberries.  But there are other less tangible aspects of Thanksgiving that endow the day with greater meaning than unwavering insistence on eating something that doesn’t make sense for one’s time and place.

More after the jump

White House Hoop House?

by intern Emily Stephenson

First Lady Michelle Obama and White House Chef Sam Kass set a great example this spring when they planted their vegetable garden on the White House lawn. Without a doubt, the project is a success—the garden has taught D.C. kids where their food comes from, fed heads of state from around the world, and hosted last month’s Healthy Kid’s fair which featured delicious treats from the garden and Mrs. Obama hula-hooping. Most importantly, the garden has shown families across America that you can eat healthy, affordable, responsible food right out of your own backyard.

This winter, the First Lady can take it one step further. Eating from the garden doesn’t only have to be limited to March-October. Michelle Obama is in a perfect position to show us that local food is possible outside of the summer months, no matter where you live. She can bring the country’s attention to the creative ways that people like Eliot Coleman and Will Allen manage to grow food in all four seasons.

Washington D.C. is located in the USDA hardiness zone 7, which means that with the help of a few basic supplies, the White House garden could be producing food all year round. Putting up cold frames —a wooden frame covered with glass—brings the zone up 1.5. Putting up a hoop house—a simple plastic structure that uses passive solar energy (as opposed to a greenhouse, which is heated)—brings it up another 1.5, to a zone 10. To put it in perspective, that’s the equivalent of southern California or Florida! These affordable and efficient structures mean the Obamas (and Bancroft Elementary students) could be eating salads, greens, radishes, carrots, turnips and more throughout winter. Think of what a great example they could set for the whole country. And they would be doing themselves a favor, too: vegetables such as kale and carrots actually get tastier and sweeter when left in the cold soil.

More after the jump

Slow Food Russian River’s Turkey Project, beautifully captured

Last fall we covered Slow Food Russian River’s Heritage Turkey Project to encourage the production of endangered breeds. The three-year old program partners with 4-H and Future Farmers of America to get kids in the region involved in raising the turkeys.

This year, the program is documented beautifully by photographer Lisa Hamilton, on the Atlantic Monthly’s food section.

A good time to remind everyone that, while they are super popular and often sell out by Thanksgiving Day itself,  it is not too late to get a heritage bird! Go to localharvest.org to find producers near you.

Gobble gobble.

Beyond the Corniness of Prison Gardens

by intern Becca Stanger

“Every garden has its weeds.”  Staring at this fresh sentence on my glowing desktop screen, I rolled my eyes, let out an audible chuckle, and bounced by finger on the backspace key.  As I discovered this week, the sheer number of sentimental metaphors that can be dreamed up when writing about something like prison gardens could stun a horse.  Which is a shame because, beyond the cheesy allusions to literal and figurative growth, prison gardens prove to be innovative programs offering benefits to both inmates and American society at large.

Garden programs are sprouting up (sorry) in prisons across the country.  Most notably, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections organized gardening programs in a total of 28 of its adult institution facilities this past year.  Through these programs, inmates develop essential social and life skills.  By working with their fellow prisoners and supervising staff to plan the growth of their seasonal garden, inmates learn how to work cooperatively.  The opportunity to work outside in a garden also allows inmates to nurture both their mental and physical health.  Furthermore, by learning practical work skills, inmates prepare themselves to find jobs and support themselves upon their release.  In fact, one inmate participating in San Francisco County Jail’s Horticulture Program loved the program so much that he asked to come back to the garden after his release to take care of his plants. 

If helping inmates cultivate (sorry again) the best in themselves were not enough, prison garden programs prove invaluable to American communities.  When the harvest of these prison gardens comes in, most of it is sent to the prison kitchens to feed the prisoners themselves.  This contribution helps to cut the cost of feeding prisoners - not an insignificant benefit considering prison costs are rising and states spend nearly 7 percent of their budgets on corrections after only health care, education, and transportation.

In addition, large amounts of the prisons’ garden produce is sent to nearby food banks.  At Wisconsin’s Oakhill Correctional Institution for example, inmates raised a whopping 75,000 pounds of produce, 25% of which was donated to local pantries.  And at Rikers Island, inmates donated 18,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to local soup kitchens and food pantries.  These donations prove crucial during this economic crisis.  With both the cost of food and gas prices rising, more and more Americans are turning to food banks for support.  In 2008, the number of people seeking help at Feeding America, the nation’s largest food bank network, rose by 15 to 20 percent.  In some banks, that percentage reached as high as 40 percent.  Donations have also dropped, putting food banks in dire straights with high population demand and low donation supply.  With these stressful circumstances in mind, garden donations from local prisons prove more valuable than ever.

So while it may be easy to laugh at the corny metaphors and puns stemming (I really am sorry) from prison garden programs, the reality is these programs offer benefits both inside and outside of the prison walls.  It would certainly be worthwhile for more state and federal governments to investigate the implementation of prison garden programs.  After all, there’s no need to throw the corn out with the corniness.  (I couldn’t resist a parting shot…)

Do as We Do: Slow Food USA Staff Write Letters to Congress

by Slow Food USA staffer Gordon Jenkins

This week, the staff at Slow Food USA’s national office in Brooklyn, NY took ten minutes before their lunch break to sit down and write letters to Congress:

For the next few months, letter writing is the focus of Slow Food USA’s campaign to give America’s children the school food they deserve. Across the country, Slow Food leaders are working with teachers and parent groups to get thousands of letters – especially letters written by kids – sent to legislators’ district offices. At the national office, we thought it prudent to practice what we preach, so fifteen of us put pen to paper in the name of helping schools serve food that’s healthy, nourishing and freshly cooked.

More after the jump

Growing Food and Justice

by Ryan Kimura, Slow Food Chicago

The 2009 Growing Food and Justice Initiative (GFJI) gathering held at the beginning of November brought together a diverse crowd—writers, teachers, urban farmers, ethnic group leaders, students, and activists. Together, we sought to find a common bond from which to work to dismantle racism and empower low-income communities and communities of color through sustainable agriculture.

At the gathering, we all had different backgrounds, cultural heritages, and talents. We recognized that that these aspects affect the way we work and talk with each other. The gathering was about learning how to forge relationships, especially across cultures, to present a united and committed front on the food issues that we care about. Ultimately, we are all tied together in our mission for a more delicious and just food system for all.

As a board member for the Slow Food Chicago chapter, I attended the gathering to learn how others have improved access to good food in low-income communities. For 2010, our chapter has been planning work in one particular “food desert” in the city, so it was stimulating to hear about similar projects and others’ experiences. Yet, the spiritual approach and racial undertones of the gathering shifted me out of my comfort zone. Social justice work is new to me, like it might be for other Slow Food members, and having honest conversations about the role and impact of race and income in food systems was challenging. I knew that I had a lot to learn and did a lot of listening.

I left the gathering with a few key takeaways that I will be bringing back to my community. Hopefully these lessons are valuable to you as Slow Food chapter leaders, volunteers and supporters.

More after the jump

National Supermarket Week of Action

by intern Heather Teige

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a membership-led organization that works to change the unjust farm labor and compensation practices in our food system, kicks off their National Supermarket Week of Action today, November 18th. The actions are scheduled to run through Thanksgiving Day, and are open to everyone.

Scheduled actions include letter writing to the heads of local supermarkets expressing concerns about food injustices their practices propagate, picketing outside local supermarkets, as well as a day of remembrance for the Navarette slavery case, where farmworkers held against their will escaped brutal work conditions.  For more information about how to participate, visit either the SFA or CIW websites.

In addition, Slow Food on Campus chapters have teamed up with the Student/Farmworker Alliance (SFA), an ally organization of the CIW, and will show their support for fair food this November by hosting dinners, presentations, and screening films to educate their communities on the farm labor inequalities in our food system.  Check back later this month for stories and photos of student events.

Low Income CSAs

by intern Grace Mitchell

I live in a food desert.  It’s unexpected, considering that I live in the consumptive bustling metropolis of New York City where much is available to a person twenty-four hours of each day. 

More thoughtfully considered, my food-parched neighborhood isn’t a conundrum; I live in a city gilded in concrete. I don’t live amid green and golden fields of pasture.  Not that fields are guarantors of food oases: Nebraska can be quite the food desert, too—driving through the state, one can be hard-pressed to find a farm-fresh commodity suitable for immediate ingestion. 

If you visit my house and head next door to Zian Farm, the closest neighborhood bodega, you’ll understand that undoubtedly its name pays homage to Nebraska or one of its neighboring states, where most, if not all, of its food products originated.  The store abounds with corn and soy sculptures in the form of food that frighteningly are the only edibles available near my home.

When I visit friends in other parts of the city, I see they aren’t all faced with this same problem.  Not only do their neighborhoods have stores that sell more than corn syrup-drenched food imitations, but they also have weekly farmers’ markets and neighborhood CSAs.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become an easy way for consumers—city dwellers and others—to ensure that they will have farm-fresh produce every week throughout a season.  At this moment in mid-November, most CSAs are winding down or have already finished their season.  It’s a good time to start learning about CSAs in your area and consider how you may want to be involved next year.  Having done your research, you’ll be ready when it’s time to sign up in the spring.

CSAs benefit farmers because the consumers pay for their shares at the beginning of the season, so not only do the farmers have a guaranteed market for their food but they also have greater financial security.  What if the consumer doesn’t have enough money to pay for her shares up front?  Well, the farmers make sure that their shareholders can pay up front.

Some farmers recognize the obvious lopsidedness of this system, and are working to make their food available to a broader range of people.  In a neighborhood not too far south of my own, the Bed-Stuy Farm Share CSA has established a system to ensure that people with lower incomes can afford to become members.  They offer two share prices, and the higher share price subsidizes the lower; those who cannot pay a season’s worth in one initial chunk establish payment plans that extend throughout the season.  Come November, the former group owes no money, and the latter pays their final installment.  It works out well for all involved.

More after the jump

The Cornucopia Project, Providing a Model of Food Sustainability

by intern Heather Teige

Slow Food USA will profile a number of our 2008 Slow Food in Schools Micro-Grant recipients in the coming months.  Look out for these profiles, along with best practice suggestions for Slow Food in Schools projects from our 2008 Micro-Grant recipients.

The Cornucopia Project, based in New Hampshire, is a mentorship program for third graders that provides students with a hands-on, learning experience from the garden to the table.  The project that first began on one acre of land as a small organic CSA, now works on five acres and involves students from three local elementary schools in an array of gardening projects.

The garden projects teach students to plan, plant, tend and harvest.  This step-by-step approach allows students to see the different stages of the planting process, giving each student a tangible understanding of how food gets to their plates.  The Cornucopia Project also works to supplement the student’s gardening experience by working with the schools to provide in-classroom curriculum, teaching the importance of eating healthy and locally.

The Cornucopia Project uses the support that parents and community members offer as volunteers and educators to provide a model of food sustainability that is accessible to everyone in their community. Project Coordinator, Kin Schilling affirms they actively work to “revolutionize the way people participate in the food chain”, and continue to expand the program’s reach and efforts.

With support from Slow Food USA’s 2008 Slow Food in Schools Micro-Grant, the Cornucopia Project built an outdoor oven to further the garden-to-table experience for the students.  In true community-building spirit, they had students and local experts, mix the clay and build the now fully functional oven.