Here’s a snippet:

Badgley and her colleagues admit that organic farming is labor intensive. But their review of yield data for the past 30 years on different agricultural methods found that in developed nations, yields were almost equal from organic and conventional farms. Developing countries—where farmers may not have access to expensive fertilizers—could almost triple their yield by using organic methods without putting extra farmland into production.

I also like the suggestion of using a cover crop between growing seasons instead of using synthetic fertilizers.

This is my last installment on the local market (at least for now). The major departments are done, with the exception of groceries. The market I’ve been picking on, Dorothy Lane Market (DLM), in Dayton and Springboro, Ohio, has the typical shelves full of cereal, oils, flour, sugar, candy, etc.

What’s different about DLM than chain markets? They have Domino sugar, but they also carry muscovado sugar. They have Coca-cola products, but they also carry Grown Up Soda and Orangina. They have standard olive oils, but also ‘taste-worthy’ olive oils.

When I’m looking for an ingredient that needs to be better than normal, I go to DLM. And, oddly enough, when I check prices on the same item at other stores, they’re very competitive… They just happen to have things that I can’t find at the typical grocery store.

I do some bread baking, and I’ve liked King Arthur flours. I was ordering them online until I found out that DLM carries all the same stuff, at the same or lower prices. Duh! I should have known to check there first!

It’s nice to know I can go to DLM and get my typical grocery needs met, or I can take things up a level and get things that are just a bit (or sometimes a lot) better.

(Images used with permission)

E-coli largely grows in the intestinal tracts of cows. Feeding cows grain instead of the grass their bodies evolved to process puts a sever strain on their bodies and, among other things, increases the quantity of intestinal e-coli dramatically. Why not avoid the problem and feed cows what’s better for them, and in turn better for us?

The contaminated wheat in pet food was sourced from China. Are we in the United States incapable of growing enough wheat for our own, and our pets, needs? Why do we need to import wheat from the other side of the planet?

It seems to me that putting these systems in place that go against nature create more problems than they solve.

Snippet:

Twenty years ago there were, maybe, 50 farmers growing organically in Connecticut. There may well be over 200 today, and there is every indication that they can barely meet the demand for the food they produce without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and free of growth hormones, irradiation and genetic engineering.

“There certainly has been a growth in small-scale agriculture in Connecticut, a dramatic growth,” said Bill Duesing, the executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut, which sponsored the conference. Not only are there more organic farmers, he said, but many of them have expanded operations, producing more kinds of food. Moreover, an increasing number of organic farmers have gone from part time to full time, he said.

Good news indeed.

For the next stop on my little series on higher end markets, I’m going to continue through my local market, Dorothy Lane Market (DLM), with the next department past the bakery, produce.

DLM has an interesting philosphy on their produce (from their website):

• We judge the quality of an organic fruit or vegetable based primarily on its flavor.
• We understand that an organic product may not always have the same visual appeal as its conventional counterpart.
• We fully support organic farming practices.
• We work with farmers and distributors who share our commitment.
• We offer a choice between organic and conventional produce when the price difference is substantial.
• When the price difference is small or there is no difference, we offer only the organic.

I compete in barbecue competitions, and I use green leaf lettuce and parsley. There’s nothing I’ve come across that proves freshness of produce more than this:

At one competition, I had the same leaf lettuce from 3 different stores (long story on why I had lettuce from 3 stores… I won’t bore you). In a cooler just overnight, in ice water, the lettuce from 2 of the stores had browned on the edges enough that it was unusable; the lettuce in barbecue competitions is used as garnish to help show off the meat, and brown lettuce would be a bad thing! DLM’s lettuce was green and crisp still, and worked great.

Another advantage in the way dlm does their produce is that they offer a better variety than most other markets, especially most large chains. This include wild mushrooms being available most of the time, a good variety of peppers, a large, and good, selection of organic produce, and a really great salad bar.

Another advantage in the approach markets like dlm take is that when you ask an employee for assistance, they generally can actually help you. The employees with which I’ve dealt have great attitudes and really care about the product they’re putting out in the stores. Unfortunately, that’s usually hard to find at a big chain store.

As a nursing mom, as well as a health nut, my interest was doubly piqued when I read a recent article about raw cow’s milk on Salon.com. I already know all the miraculous health benefits of human milk - it confers immunities, prevents allergies, protects against infection - it’s even antimicrobial. Weird anecdote: I applied some topically to my daughter’s rash after reading an article in Mothering Magazine, and it improved the rash more than prescription cream. I also remember being warned never, ever to heat breast milk above body temperature, because doing so would destroy those wonderful immune factors and tiny living helpers. Logically, according to a growing number of raw milk fans, the same thing happens with cow’s milk: once it’s heated to 145 degrees during pasteurization, a ton of health benefits are lost to the drinker.

The heat of pasteurization destroys vitamins and beneficial bacteria, like lactobacillus (think yogurt), enzymes and immune factors. Raw, or unpasteurized milk, still contains these microscopic factors. Some say it can cure asthma, eczema and other chronic diseases - even hepatitis C, according to one New Jersey man, who attributes his consumption of raw milk to the fact that the virus is now undetectable in his system. The Weston A. Price Foundation, a group that touts the health benefits of so-called “traditional” foods, including raw dairy, has 400 chapters around the world, and thousands of people are joining each month. Sally Fallon, nutrition activist, and the group’s founder, says “People are sick and searching for answers - and they’re getting better.”

In fact, raw cow’s milk, just like human milk, is full of active antibacterial factors that may actually kill dangerous germs. Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures dairy, is regularly investigated by the FDA. “They’ve never found a pathogen,” McAfee says. He even sent samples of his milk to a private lab, and had them purposely contaminated with high levels of harmful bacteria including Salmonella and E. Coli. The number of bacteria decreased with time, leading the lab to report that “raw milk [does] not appear to support the growth” of these germs, inhibiting it instead.

The FDA and the American Medical Association are dead set against the practice of drinking raw milk, officially. John Sheehan, the director of dairy and egg saftey at the FDA, likens drinking raw milk to “playing Russian roulette.” Surprisingly, raw milk activist Rahman Dalrymple agrees - sort of. “Raw milk is dangerous,” he says, “if you get it from one of these industrial dairies that have fecal matter and pus and blood in their milk.”

According to Dalrymple, the difference between raw milk from a dirty industrial farm, and raw milk from a spotless organic farm, is lost on the hopelessly bureacratic FDA. He maintains that pasteurization actually increases the likelihood that milk will be dirty - it does nothing to stop milk from becoming contaminated to begin with. The legally acceptable level of bacteria in pasteurized milk is almost five times that for raw, some 50,000 CFU per millileter. Sally Fallon agrees, noting that because pasteurization destroys the immune factors normally present in milk, widespread contamination actually becomes more likely with pasteurized milk, as it lacks those protective factors.

Ok, FDA. We got it. Cloned food = safe. Raw milk = dangerous. Regardless of whether you believe in raw milk’s magical powers, it’s not going to be showing up at your local megamart anytime soon. It’s been illegal to sell it across state lines since 1987. If you’re interested, you’ll have to drive to one of the 22 states where it is legal to buy, unless, of course, you have your own cow. What a world.

Tips For Cooking Grass Fed Meats

I’ve been telling people grass is good for years. As The Organic Chef and an organic grass fed beef farmer, it’s only natural that I’ve heard just about everything a person could tell me about grass fed beef.Here I’ve chosen three “myths” about grass fed beef to debunk:

1) All beef is grass-fed

2) Grass-fed beef is tough

3) Beef is beef and grass-fed beef is no different nutritionally

1) This is the same as saying that all cows are milk fed. Is it true? Yes. But we all know that this is only until they are weaned. Most commercial cows eat grass for a few short months until they are old enough to be sold to the feed lots. Any goodness from the grass that they did eat from that little time spent on pasture is completely erased the moment they hit the market. From that point on, they go from the quiet comforts of their mother and herd to the deafening noise of the market and the all too often jolt from the free flowing cattle prod. Over crowded conditions, lack of food and water and, in most cases, not even enough room to lie down, and that is just at the livestock market. Once they reach the feed lot, matters only get worse. This is a place where the duty of the veterinarian is not to care for the well being of the livestock, but to merely keep it alive long enough to get to slaughter. I challenge anyone to find a picture of a feedlot that contains a single blade of grass in ANY of its feed pens. Call me crazy, but this isn’t my idea of grass-fed. A good tip to learn if your beef is really grass fed: The fat in truly grass fed beef runs clear, and there is very little of it!

2) Grass-fed beef can be tough if you don’t prepare it properly. It requires a little skill and if it is done incorrectly, the result is tough beef. Commerical beef producers have found ways to tenderize meats through chemicals, gases, puncturing, feeds and many other little tricks to make you a better cook. When you are cooking grass-fed beef, remember to sear and brown the outside. Browning equals flavor - no brown, no flavor. Not burned, just caramelized. This can be done on a grill or in a pan even under a broiler. From that point, the heat needs to be turned down low. I like to finish my beef in the oven at 275 degrees until I’ve reach the desired internal temperature of 145°. To have it your way, just follow the temperature guideline below:

130°-140°= Rare

140°- 145°= Medium Rare

145°-150°= Medium

150°-155°= Medium well

155°-160°= Well done

A resting period for beef is crucial and especially so for grass-fed beef. Five to ten minutes will suffice. There is no need to let the meat get cold, so cover it as it rests, aluminum foil is just fine.

3) All beef is not created equal. Grass is Good - Really Good. A widely cited 2001 report by The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) estimates that the quantities of antimicrobials administered to livestock and poultry for non-therapeutic purposes (growth promotion and disease prevention) far outweigh the amount of antibiotics used on humans. According to UCS estimates, humans use approximately 4.5 million pounds of antibiotics annually. This figure includes all antimicrobials applied in courses of medical treatment (50 million cases or 3 million pounds), as well as in topical creams, soaps, and disinfectants (1.5 million pounds). In comparison, antimicrobial use in the three major sectors of livestock - beef, pork, and poultry - is estimated at 24.6 million pounds annually, eight times the amount used in human medicine. By those numbers, non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials in livestock agriculture accounts for 70% of total antibiotic use. The study in the Feb. 18th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that all levels of antibiotic use were associated with increased risk of breast cancer and death from breast cancer. What does this all have to do with grass fed meats.

Organic meat would seem safe, considering no hormones or antibiotics are administered to these animals, but is that really enough? With recent E-Coli scares from even organic meat producers popping up, how are we to know? Understanding why and how E-Coli has become so harmful to humans is key. When an animal is grain fed, either organic or commercial, the stomach acids in the cattle strengthen. Michael Pollen, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma makes it clear: “The recent strain of E. Coli 0157:H7 is believed to have evolved in the gut of feedlot cattle. These are animals that stand around in their manure all day long, eating a diet of grain that happens to turn a cow’s rumen into an ideal habitat for E. coli 0157:H7. (The bug can’t survive long in cattle living on grass.) Industrial animal agriculture produces more than a billion tons of manure every year, manure that, besides being full of nasty microbes like E. coli 0157:H7 (not to mention high concentrations of the pharmaceuticals animals must receive so they can tolerate the feedlot lifestyle), often ends up in places it shouldn’t be, rather than in pastures, where it would not only be harmless, but also actually do some good. To think of animal manure as pollution rather than fertility is a relatively new (and industrial) idea.”

Grain fed animals, it appears, develop newer and stronger bacteria in response to the overly acidic environment produced by massive grain feeding. The human body cannot kill these strains as they naturally would in similar but weaker strains the human body carries naturally on its own. These “Super Bugs” in the cattle manure that comes from feed lot cows is then often used as fertilizer on vegetables. When the meat is processed for human consumption, the super bugs find their way into our diet and our bodies, causing illness and sometimes death.

Grass feeding cattle does not promote an acidic environment within the stomach. Humans can easily combat and kill and E.Coli that is present in the gut of a grass fed animal. The digestive system in grass fed animals runs at 7 pH versus 4 pH in grain fed animals. E. Coli 157 will not survive in the stomach of a grass-fed animal due to the high pH. Furthermore, since cattle raised in feedlots are not fresh from the shower, we should be even more concerned. Feedlot animals are forced to stand all day in confined areas in their own manure and cannot help but be covered in it. Grass raised cattle are not confined and less likely to be covered in their own manure. At the end of the day, pragmatically, the only way to cut down your risk of becoming ill from a virulent strain of E. Coli is to eat grass-fed meats.

In the Grass Farmer’s April 2006 issue, Dr. Tilek Dhiman of Utah State University spoke at the American Grass Fed Association’s seminar and reported:

Some of grass fed’s benefits in comparison with the grain fed products are:- 500% More CLA

- 400% More Vitamin A

- 300% More Vitamin E

- 75% More Omega-3

- 78% More Beta-Carotene

In grass fed meats studies:

- 11 out of 11 found CLA decreases cancer

- Four out of five have found a decrease in body fat

- Two out of two have found a decrease in heart disease

- Three out of three found a decrease in adult diabetes

- Six out of six have found increased immunity to disease

- Two out of two found an increase in bone density

Here at Rosas Farms, we’ve been working with physicians and scientists and are working on proving a link between higher estrogen levels in men and what they eat. The bottom line is grass fed beef is good, it’s more difficult to prepare at first, but the health benefits outweigh any amount of work in the kitchen. I’m sure you’ll learn to love it as much as I have.