As our collective food-conscious develops, and we consider, even question the origins of our food, it is only a matter of time before farmed salmon pays its dues. With the release of the Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc., Americans are coalescing around the importance of ‘real food.’ Whether health, economic or environmental concerns lead the way, people from all parts of town are wanting better quality whole foods. The focus of the food movement is seemingly fixated on the production and distribution of fruits and vegetables. Though undercurrent issues occasionally come to the fray, and these include dairy, meat and fish.

In the past I have written extensively on the importance of pastured animals over grain-fed cows, chickens, lambs, etc. (See here, here and here.) It is only a matter of time before large swaths of carnivorous Americans want grass-fed meat to feed their family. And this liberation from CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operation) must include both mammals and fish. Be it marketing or general ignorance, most people do not acknowledge or understand the catastrophic implications of farmed fish.

The video above is an excellent documentary on the practice and consequence of farmed salmon. Just like the cows and chickens of middle America, large quantities of fish are crammed into small spaces. These oceanic CAFOs also utilize the fattening qualities of grain on fish. Like their mammalian brethren, salmon are not supposed to eat grain. Depending on the age, wild salmon’s dietary choices range from other small fish to plankton to kelp. The hype over Omega-3s and healthy fish oil is directly related to the sustenance of wild fish, specifically plants. Just like grass-fed cows, wild salmon also have high levels of Omega 3s, 6s and healthy fats.

But, just like industrial meat production, farmed salmon is disastrous for the environment. Along the coasts of countries around the world, habitats that once streamed with abundant sea life are now desolate. The farming of salmon not only effects the portion of sea that the farm inhabits, but also endangers the rivers and streams where wild salmon spawn and feed. Again, like industrial cattle or pigs, farmed salmon consume excessive amounts of antibiotics because the proximity of so many fish will inevitably breed disease. At the same time, nature’s way of constraining overpopulation brings sea lice to the farm.

A juvenile salmon with sea lice.

According to Watershed-Watch,

Sea lice are small ocean parasites that feed on the skin of fish. Lice normally do not harm adult salmon; however, small numbers of lice may kill juvenile salmon. Scientists agree that the pink salmon collapse in the Broughton Archipelago in 2002 is likely related to sea lice from salmon farms. From an expected 3.6 million salmon, only 147,000 spawning fish returned.

Unsurprisingly, the proliferation of sea lice among farmed salmon spreads to the lives of those that are wild. It is no coincidence that many of the farms are located along the same routes taken by smolts (juvenile salmon) on their way to the ocean to mature. When the wild fish swim near  or through the farmed populations, many of them receive sea lice. It is mentioned in the video that the size of these oceanic parasites are equivalent to 40 pound bugs eating away on a human body. As you might expect, the lice are killing large numbers of farmed salmon and infecting more populations of wild salmon.

In the context of climate change or any macro environmental concerns, these issue have severe implications. Indigenous communities that have thrived on salmon for generations will be greatly affected. Bears and eagles will lose one of their main forms of food. When one piece of the ecosystem is broken, it is only a matter of time before many more factors are disabled.

Without serious regulation and/or the dismantling of fish farming, it is very possible that salmon populations will become so damaged that extinction is a real possibility.

Related posts:

1. Wild Salmon CSA
2. The Grass-Fed Manifesto (Part I)
3. The Grass-Fed Manifesto (part 3)

This menu, unlike previous ones, was written more by my wife than myself. Last week’s meals were dominated by winter’s root vegetables. Now, we both love the celeriac, parsnips, turnips and even rutabagas, but when these crops are all pureed with thyme day in and day out, the experience goes a little dry (especially for my wife.) And so, with a fire under her bum, I had her participate in the planning process.

Here is what she came up with:

• Polenta pizza with pesto, caramelized onions, sausage, mozzarella, roasted garlic and some winter greens
• Beef Stew over rice
• Corn soup with acorn squash and sausage
• Wild rice with butternut squash, leeks and corn
• Oven-roasted Dungeness crab

First off, let me say that 3 weeks into my elimination diet the frustrations have already peaked! It is rather challenging to cook and eat without vinegar (no salad dressing), tomatoes, tofu, beans and eggs, let alone the dozen or so other items on my allergy list. This dietary obstacle will only make me stronger and smarter (as a meal planner) but seeing this through can sometimes be really difficult. Lucky for me, my wife is supportive and helps me see around my usual food ideas.

Take for example the polenta pizza. You make polenta and pour it in a rimmed baking sheet. After it cools in the fridge for some time, you add the toppings and bake it for 20 minutes – voila! Wheat-free and yeast-free pizza. And honestly, it’s tasty and a great substitute when bread is not an option or you want something a tad healthier.

Another bonus to the week is our selection of frozen food items, which includes corn soup and kernels. The wild rice dish is especially delicious and we discovered it last year while living in Minneapolis. Back in Minnesota we did the 100-mile diet and I learned all about wild rice. The best part was that of all the things we ate, it’s indigenous to the region and available via an Indian reservation that participates in harvesting the traditional ways. Thus, eating wild rice was an experience in truly eating local.

Now, on a completely different note, the dungeness crab dish is local to our Portland, OR locale. This dish evolves out of one of my new year’s resolutions, specifically to prepare my wife and I a “fancy meal” once a month. This recipe is loved by a friend of mine and I think it’s time we try it too!

Overall, this week will be great. I love the variety in foods and flavors, even though there are overlaps in some of the ingredients. And since we rarely eat fish in our home, the crab night will be a real treat.

Next time, I promise to have this posted on a Friday. Have a great weekend and keep on cooking!

Related posts:

1. Eating Seasonal Blues (weekly menu 21)
2. A simple menu (weekly menu 2)
3. A clouded vision (weekly menu 3)

Although not aesthetically pleasing, freezing is a simple process for the preserving novice.

Since the purchase of a stand-up freezer, the opportunity for mass food preservation reigns. For the last several months I have slowly stocked up on random items. This week I compiled a list of all the current packages, including content and quantity. Between the big freezer and the one atop our refrigerator we have the following foods:

• 1/3 of a gallon bag filled with dried figs (foraged this summer and fall)
• 6 quart bags filled half-way with partially cooked chanterelles and their juices, (foraged this fall)
• 2 gallon bags of blueberries (purchased in August)
• 3 gallon bags of blackberries (foraged this summer)
• 6 quart bags of roasted red bell peppers (read this for the story)
• 6 quart bags of sliced peaches (bought in August)
• 2 gallon bags of ratatouille (here’s the recipe)
• 1 gallon of fresh corn soup (rather ironic to have froze this) (here’s the recipe)
• 5 quart bags of corn kernels (purchased in August)
• 4 chicken carcasses

This list does not include this month’s meat order from Afton Field Farm. On Thursday I will pick up the following:

• 1/2 a lamb, half of which is being shared with a friend; the total weight for our household will be about 20 pounds.
• 2 whole chickens
• 1 pound of chicken feet
• 3 dozen eggs
• 1 pound of ground beef

It’s important for me to explain why I ordered so much meat. The farm does not raise enough lamb to sell individual cuts. Since lamb is my favorite animal to eat, I wanted to have some for the rest of the winter. Like produce, animals are seasonal. Unless the farm raises large numbers of different animals and has the freezer space for all the cuts, certain species are available during certain times of the year. For example, lamb is mostly slaughtered in the spring and fall. Chickens are slaughtered in the early summer through late fall. I think cows are slaughtered year round as they are able to gain weight through the winter time. As you might expect, I think it’s important to consider the seasonality of meat, since animals do not naturally graze year round (at least in this part of America.)

Aside from the limitation of getting lamb, I am also sharing the order with a friend. Buying 40 pounds of lamb is a bit extreme, even for us. The other portions of the order are part of our monthly needs. In other words, the lamb is a long-term investment and the chicken, eggs and beef are short-term.

With all of this frozen meat, produce and cooked meals, this morning I had a revelation. In my mind, food preservation, be it canning, freezing, drying, curing, etc, is a means eating different foods when they are no longer in season. Therefore, it makes sense to eat all of these things during winter and early spring; and then the cycle begins again. Adding up the total quantity of frozen foods (excluding meat) there is a total of 32 bags. If, starting the first week of December, we ate one bag a week, we would have enough items to last 4 months! Clearly we could not sustain ourselves from December to March, but we can include some wonderful flavors in the mix. This calculation is even off a bit because I know we will be out of town at various times. I suppose I’d rather over estimate than under.

After making this calculations, I am excited to add a new element to our meal planning. Starting in December I can add a new variable to the process. Once this begins I will try to post once a week on the use of these different frozen foods.

For a geek like me this rather exciting!

Related posts:

1. Filling up the freezer
2. Grocery-free Living
3. Food Fantasies

I do not speak here with hyperbole. In our society we, as consumers, are are often blind to the “hidden costs” of the products or services we purchase. The classic example of this is food; and as a ‘food blog,’ I will discuss this issue in the context of my advocacy for grass-fed and pasture-raised animals.

Many folks in my peer group recognize the environmental and economic dangers of both industrial agriculture and factory farming. After the release of films like Food, Inc. and King Corn, and Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore Dilemma, I think the politics of the food movement are embracing a wider audience. The fight against industrial food production has gone on for many, many years. I am proud to admit that I am new to “the movement,” and that I have much to learn in its history and so forth. That said, I do believe that the current explosion of food-related concerns in the mainstream are significant and of deeper examination. The article written by Michael Moss is a prime example.

Over the past several years there have been larger and more severe outbreaks of E. Coli, a deadly bacteria found in beef. The bacteria naturally exists inside the cow’s belly but given certain conditions, its potential to spread beyond the carcass is exponential. During the process-intensive slaughter and meat production there are numerous possibilities for contamination. The article discusses this at length. But what the article does not discuss, is why there is room for all of these contaminations. How are cows being raised and slaughtered so that there is room for E. Coli to survive?

To answer this question simply – cows are eating corn. Yes, cows are also raised in confined spaces, slaughtered in unsanitary conditions, and debased to the most inhumane standards possible; but the issue stems from corn. Cows do not naturally eat corn. Cows eat grass. Cows even have a special stomach to digest the grass, and yet it is cheaper to feed them corn. Since profitability is the name of the game, public health is of little concern. This point is most clearly demonstrated when

Dr. Kenneth Peterson, an assistant administrator with the department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, said that the department could mandate testing, but that it needed to consider the impact on companies as well as consumers. “I have to look at the entire industry, not just what is best for public health,” Dr. Petersen said.

Wow. There you have it. A top official for the USDA makes the claim that the industry is at par with the consumer in the buy/sell equation. It’s moments like this when I find it hard to respect or trust the government in this country. As a skeptic of democracy I feel like this man’s comment totally justifies my criticism of our nations holy mantra, ‘by the people, for the people.’ Clearly, in our age, its more like ‘by the corporation, for the corporation.’

…Back to the issue of corn. Because the cows are fed corn and they are not supposed to eat corn, the cows get sick. To combat a potential pandemic in our cow population, another industry is introduced – the drug makers. As you may have heard, cows are given antibiotics to combat illnesses. Well, over time and adjustment, the bacteria develop the means to survive the antibiotics and become even stronger and deadlier. Now we have strands of E. Coli that are significantly more dangerous than previous ones.

Another article I read on Moss’ piece made the following statement (better than I could have,)

In short, E. coli didn’t just “happen” to the meat industry—it’s a consequence of industrial practices. But nowhere in the article (or in the halls of the USDA or the largescale beef producers for that matter) is the possibility of moving away from this corn-based system raised as a solution for the industrial system. Surprisingly, the article includes virtually no proposed solutions for this crisis—just vague assurances that the USDA isn’t “standing still” on the issue. In reality, the industry focuses exclusively on “managing” the ongoing presence of E. coli O157 though the development of an E. coli vaccine for cows, and irradiation or chemical washes for the meat. All of which are attempts to mask the risks of a failed system and represent an institutionalizing of the underlying failures. And none of which make me ever want to touch industrial meat again.

Indeed, if there ever was a powerful argument for eating only grass-fed beef from small producers, this article is it. The only conclusion worth drawing from this expose is that industrial ground beef simply isn’t worth the risk. And without wholesale industry and regulatory reform—neither of which appears likely or even possible, it may never be.

At this point I want to suggest 2 solutions to the issue:

1. If you choose to eat meat, be certain that the animal was fed grass and as mentioned before, as close to 100% as possible. When cows do eat grass the strain will not survive. When you purchase this meat try your hardest to buy from a small-scale farm where industrial slaughter is out of the question. Find out where the animals are slaughtered. FInd out how large the slaughter house is and how many animals they process a day. As a consumer you have the right to know and all you have to do is ask. I also suggest finding a family-run farm (that is small and only raises animals on grass) because there’s more room for trust and transparency. If you ever got sick you know who to call. You can directly source the meat from your plate to the field. You are empowered by taking the extra steps as a consumer. If you are willing to take these steps, the best starting place is EatWild.com. This is an excellent site to find the type of farm I am recommending.
2. As a general rule, eat less meat. If you eat standard meat that is from animals fed corn, you are more likely to get heart disease and other meat-related illnesses. If you eat strictly grass-fed and pasture-raised meats you are not condemned to these chronic ailments (see the first manifesto for more.) Another reason to eat less meat is the Earth. If you believe in climate change or global warming then you must also recognize the impact of eating meat on the issue. (While I do eat meat and recognize meat’s impact, I do not see this as a total contradiction. I will write on this soon.)

As I continue to advocate for greater consumer intelligence in the realm of food consumption, I will always return to the issue of grass-fed vs. corn-based diets for animals. The health of us, as a nation and as individuals, will depend on our interest in making healthy choices and taking the time to fulfill them.

Share and Enjoy:

Related posts:

1. The Grass-Fed Manifesto (part 4)
2. The Grass-Fed Manifesto (part 3)
3. The Grass-Fed Manifesto (Part I)

It's a jungle in there!

If I really want to live beyond the grocery store, we have to really love and trust our freezer – and we do. Though I do intend to invest in a chest freezer in the next month. The possibilities of frozen foods seem utterly infinite with a massive box, one completely devoted to containing meat, stock and blanched produce. After tonight I think this step better happen soon. As of this evening we now have 4.5 quart bags of frozen peaches and 4 quart bags of frozen corn, combined with other items our freezer is practically stuffed. Between peach cobbler in January and corn pudding in December (or whenever we want) I am excited for the winter.

Yesterday, at one of the many farmers markets here in Portland, we purchased 10 pounds of peaches and 3 dozen ears of corn. The summer before last we froze corn and it was an awesome decision. I am happy we did it again as I know we will enjoy it this winter. The peaches are a new venture. We already have 3 or 4 gallons of black berries (a bit much if I say so myself.) I am curious to see how the peaches turn out. I have seen canned peaches and frankly that looks more appealing to me, but the ease of freezing transcends any pretty picture. As we peeled the cooled peaches, sliced em up and put them in their baggies, we reminded ourselves that most of this fruit will “take shape” in a cobbler or pie. In this case, I don’t know how much it matters how we preserve them.

Resting before the plunge.

For those of you that are interested in canning or freezing, there is one site in particular I highly recommend: Pick Your Own. As far as my preserving adventures go this is the site for taking the simple steps toward canning, freezing or drying. Not only does she include clear directions with great step-by-step photos for the various processes, but she also provides numerous resources for the beginner or hobby preserver.

As summer winds down and fall slowly enters our lives, there are only a few projects left on my list:

1. Roasting several pounds of red bell peppers and canning them with some olive oil and garlic. I have never done this but I intend to next week. I love the possibility of having roasted red peppers in the winter. They are so excellent as an antipasta for a coursed Italian feast, or throwing in a stew or pasta dish – yummy in my tummy.
2. Canning whole tomatoes. As far as I can tell it seems like canning tomatoes is ‘classic.’ And this year I would really love a piece of the action. Ideally I would can one quart for each week of the winter. Realistically, I will can any tomatoes I can get my hands on and be happy with that. I am on the lookout for 50 pounds, but again, I’ll take what I can get.
3. Chanterelle mushrooms. This weekend we are going foraging for my favorite wild mushroom – the chanterelle. Each Spring we hunt morels and we have been lucky for the last 3 years. Now that we are back in the NW there are so many varieties of edible wild mushrooms. When we find morels we tend to dry most of them out. I am curious to know if we can dry out this variety too.

This about sums up my canning/freezing/drying desires. Each year I try new things and rack up a longer list for the following year. I would love to hear other people’s successful preserving experiences. If anyone would like to share a recipe or a picture or a story of their own that would be wonderful.

Related posts:

1. Freezer Madness and the Long Winter Ahead
2. Grocery-free Living
3. Sorry for the Delay (weekly menu 17)