With last week's national egg recall in the news, people are starting to think outside the cage - the bird cage, that is. Uber factory farm Wright County Egg, of Galt, Iowa, recalled 380 million eggs - more than one egg per every American.
Newspapers are again reporting dissension among experts on Main Street America's belief of the past few decades that centralized food production is the best way to feed ourselves, and are indeed questioning its safety. With eggs being a common breakfast staple for most people, this issue hits home with many of us.
The egg industry has provided us with numerous terminology descriptors for its eggs, but most of them try to hide the fact that the mega farm chickens are housed either in giant barns or in a factory filled with cages. What most people don't realize is that the vast majority of eggs in big barns and cages - even supermarket organic - don't get daily natural sunlight, which is critical for Vitamin D, which it gets from the sun, and Vitamin A from the grass.
The mega barns may provide an access door to the outside ("cage free"), but it is usually pretty small in comparison with the expansiveness of the barn. As a result, the chickens view going outside with some suspicion and are usually content to hang out inside with the other chicks. Further, being in questionable or sketchy sanitary conditions fosters disease that spreads quickly, and their concentrated waste gets dumped into the surrounding local countryside, often reportedly causing a huge stench that makes it unbearable for children playing outside and fishing in local waters an invitation to disease. (A fascinating book on this subject is The Righteous Porkchop by Nicolette Hahn Niman.)
Here is an excerpt of different egg descriptors taken from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Cage-free - Hens can still be kept in huge closed barns housing tens of thousands of chickens.
Organic - As certified by the USDA, this label requires some outdoor exposure.
Pasture-raised - This and other higher classifications indicate outside forage on vegetation and insects.
Certified humane - Endorsed by the Humane Society of
the United States, this does not require access to the outdoors but has
standards for air quality and lighting.
Note: The science remains mixed on whether "cage-free" eggs are safer to eat than eggs from "battery cages."
Consider the Source
My mom used to always say to us kids, "consider the source". Chickens grown on small farms like our ancestors had live happy, healthy lives; as a result, there is more nutrition in each egg resulting from grass and sunlight exposure. As a bonus, the chickens provide a natural and inexpensive source for enriching the soil. And I could talk to you til the cows come home about the creamier, almost succulent texture that local eggs offer. Mmmm! Once you've tried it, you never want to scramble with anything else!
Bottom Line
Always consider your source. Buy pasture-raised chickens from a local farmer you have talked to and trust. Next best is supermarket organic.
Your Invitation
I invite you to check out your local farmers' market and ask smaller mom-and-pop stores in your area to carry eggs from local family farms so that you and others can more easily enjoy them outside of farmers' market hours. While at the farmers' market, look for pictures of where the chickens feed on pasture, make sure the chickens spend most of their time outside, and ask what kind of feed they use and if they use any hormones or antibiotics. Chances are you'll connect not only with a greater quality and tastier food source, but you'll also feel connected with your community.
When peaches and plums are in season, don't throw away the pit. Instead, crack open the kernal by placing them inside a plastic ziploc bag and carefully hammer it to extract the inside kernel. You can eat the uniquely-flavored kernel fresh or boil it in water a couple minutes to make a tea to take advantage of its anti-cancer benefits. Otherwise, let it dry overnight on a plate and store in a jar. Kernals are great for adding a unique flavor naturally to creamy desserts or even sake.
In San Francisco, just about every neighborhood has its own fabulous farmers' market. Nowadays, however, not every farmer needs a market to sell his or her wares. Outside the doors of restaurants such as Frances in the Castro and Spruce in Laurel Heights, farmers are popping up a table to sell fresh, delicious produce to folks either walking by or in to the restaurant. Customers love it, neighbors love it, and the restaurant looks like a fresh food hero.
My wish is that it will catch on in other areas of the city and country, particularly those with little access to fresh produce. What can you do? Ask your favorite local restaurant to support their favorite local vendor for salads, fruits or vegetables and to let them set up a table outside their door one day a week around dinnertime. The restaurant owners and chefs can show off their fabulous ingredients to their customers, generate buzz, and create amazing dishes using healthier, delicious food that's in season.
Together, we can make the goodness and deliciousness of fresh food spread across the country!
Do you or a loved one have food allergies and get lopped into the "food prima donna" category by unappreciative waitstaff when ordering at a restaurant? I asked the venerable Florence Fabricant of The New York Times on how to handle this situation and she responded - and so did about a thousand other bloggers - with their opinion on the subject.
Have you had success or challenges in this area that you would like to share? Now's your time to share or ask for advice.
Click on the picture below to link to the article for her response.
Want to help out the Gulf area folks whose lives and livelihoods were affected by the oil spill? Bi-Rite Market is selling $5 raffle tickets until Wednesday, June 30th. All funds will go to the people most affected (not into an administration vortex) through the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund.
Bi-Rite's raffle offers some really kickin' prizes:
Private dinner for 8 at 18 Reasons, cooked by Bi-Rite owner, Sam Mogannam
Private dinner for 8 cooked by Alex Ong, head chef of Betelnut restaurant
ICE CREAM FOR A YEAR! From luscious Bi-Rite Creamery, of course :)
Gift Basket of popular Bi-Rite items (wow!)
6-pack of Mom's Preserves (yum!)
Case of 18th Street Wines (oh yea...)
$100 gift certificate to Betelnut restaurant in Cow Hollow (bonus!)
Dinner from Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Foods every Friday for a month (mmm...)
"Chicken = Tiny Dinosaur" print donated by local artist Imin Yeh
Don't we wish! With the recent catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, the food supply and livelihoods of many are now in peril and could be for generations to come. How can we protect a healthy supply of fish to eat? See what my buddy, Dave Guggenheim, the "Ocean Doctor" has to say about a healthier style of fish farming on his blog.
Despite the wide fish display at the supermarket, 90% of the world's large fish supply (tuna, salmon, halibut, etc) is depleted. Check out a unique solution for a much more sustainable model as described by chef Dan Barber at the 2010 TED conference. He shares perhaps the most inspiring example of how a fish farm in Spain provides its own ecosystem of food, naturally cleans pesticide-ridden inflowing water, and judges itself on the health of its predators (pink flamingos - of all things!). It’s a great example of how we can rethink our food model outside of the factory farm paradigm.
For my Facebook friends, check out recipes, my blog and more at www.SandraKeros.com.
The difference in taste between homemade almond milk versus the box stuff is astounding. The first time I made Dreamy Almond Milk, my eyes brightened and lips smiled from this new taste discovery. It blew the other stuff out of the water! I can’t wait for you to taste it - it's sooo delicious!
Now you can experience the clean and creamy goodness of homemade almond milk in no time. It tastes really fresh, like the difference between fresh-pressed o.j. versus concentrate. Check out my recipe and see how surprisingly easy it is to make.
Always use raw organic almonds like nature intended (not pasteurized nor irradiated): buy farmer direct online or at the farmers' market. Also, be sure to soak them the night before - it makes them easier to digest. I promise once you try it you won't want to go back to the box!
With a taste like spiked lemonade and the health promise of probiotics (coming from the Greek meaning for life), folks from coast to coast have climbed on the Kombucha bandwagon. What's Kombucha? It's a tea-fermented drink of Eastern European origin with live cultures that provide a natural source of probiotics that can be great for digestion.
If you've tried one of the commercial brands of Kombucha available nationwide (GT, Synergy, etc.) you already know it's an acquired taste, especially if your taste buds are used to drinking Diet Coke every day. However, it's a very refreshing drink and the naturally added sweet berry flavors incommercial brands aren't sticky-sweet - they merely add a nice balance and familiar flavor that tones down the alcohol-like essence.
Just like mom said, "too much of a good thing isn't always good", so I don't recommended Kombucha for every day use as it can cause yeast overgrowth. If you have candida you should stay away from it (see this article for tips on dealing with candida). For those who can and want to try it, it's especially great to drink in warmer weather when you want something only a little bit sweet and very refreshing.
Kombucha's not just in stores anymore and the fruity combinations are getting very fancy. For instance, you can order Watermelon Jalapeno Kombucha at Berkeley's Cultured pickle store, order it at a restaurant in place of a cocktail (see
the SF Weekly list for spots in San Francisco) or buy your own home-brewing kit (check out http://kombuchakollective.wordpress.com/).
Though it's been around a while, Kombucha being served in restaurants and made at home is a tasty trend we're likely to see continue.
Glass is great as a container for drinking water at home, but what about for around town? Starbucks recently recalled faulty glass water bottles sold in Target stores (yikes!). Plastic has its drawbacks (chemical leaching, odor, environmental concerns), yet sturdy stainless steel bottles can look pretty battered and give water a slight metallic taste.
Enter Lifefactory's glass water bottles encased in an cheery array of colorful 100% non-toxic silicone sleeves. I was hesitant at first to recommend their 22 oz. bottles for fear that mine would break either in the dishwasher or on the sidewalk soon after posting my recommendation. Over a month of abuse later, my fears have flown the coop.
What's cool is that they not only offer sturdy, chic-looking bottles for adults but also baby bottles and teethers for kids. Their non-slip sleeve is free of BPA, phthalates, PVC, and polycarbonates, which are known carcinogens, reproductive toxins or endocrine disruptors.
Curiously, though, I occasionally catch a plasticy whiff from the silicone sleeve when I drink from it, so I called the company. With the assurance of the Director of Ops, an MSDS report, as well as information posted on various other blogs, so far, all assurances I can find point to silicone's safety as an inert substance made from natural rubber.
You can check out or order the svelte looking bottles online at www.lifefactory.com.
With fresh green grass and warmer, sunnier days, Spring is high-time in the new year for naturally pastured chickens to be laying eggs. These great conditions give yolks a more intensely yellow-ish orange color as well as higher levels of Omega 3s, vitamins D and A. However, did you know that you're supposed to rinse your eggs before cracking them for an omelet?
"Bacteria can be on the outside of a shell egg. That's because
the egg exits the hen's body through the same
passageway as feces is excreted. That's why eggs are washed and
sanitized at the processing plant.
Bacteria can be inside an uncracked, whole egg. Contamination
of eggs may be due to bacteria within the hen's
ovary or oviduct before the shell forms around the yolk and
white. SE (Salmonella Enteritidis) doesn't make the hen sick. It is also possible
for eggs to become infected by Salmonella Enteritidis
fecal contamination through the pores of the shells
after they're laid."
So how does Salmonella develop and how widespread is it? Wikipedia reports, "According to U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2002 (Risk Analysis April 2002
22(2):203-18), of the 69 billion eggs produced annually only 2.3 million are
contaminated with salmonella—equivalent to just one in every 30,000
eggs. However, the risk of infection is dependent on the sanitary conditions under which the hens are kept."
There are the stats, folks. Of course, the safest bet is to put on your farm hat and raise your own hens. Short of that, I recommend buying your eggs from a source you trust. I love getting pastured eggs from a neighbor, the farmers' market, Rainbow Grocery or Bi-Rite here in San Francisco. These quality eggs have more flavor and bring a creamy lusciousness to your scrambled eggs - mmmm - once you have it, you'll be spoiled for life. Besides taste, the hens' unconfined, cleaner environs on pasture is clearly the natural way to raise them and reduces the chance of illness due to unnatural factory conditions. (See the Meatrix video - www.themeatrix.com for an animated depiction of factory raised hens.)
Here comes the mantra again..."buy local"! By doing this and washing your eggs every time you'll stay on the "sunny side" of breakfast!
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