From Lisa Barnes

I was lucky enough to go to the Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco this weekend.  I was excited to hear about the lectures and panels and purchased tickets months ago.  I thought they would be interesting (especially the one regarding edible education and the state of food in our schools) but I had no idea how inspiring, exciting and educating they would be as well (not always the case in 3 hour panel discussions).  I spent the majority of my time in lectures but I did get out and experience the marketplace and see the victory garden in front of City Hall and it really was impressive.  The crowd was many and diverse  - all were happy, curious and interested in food, the environment and social justice.  I’m sorry it’s over.

I like to think I’m in touch with the shopping, preparing and eating of “slow” foods, but I really learned it’s so much more than buying organic, local, whole foods.  I didn’t realize how interconnected and political the issue of growing, buying and eating food really has become.  After listening to panels of scientists, authors, activitsts, farmers, poets, educators and more - I understand Dr. Vandana Shiva’s Indian proverb “Everything is food.  Everything is someone else’s food.”  I’ve always believed food is how we are connected to the land and each other, but it is also a history and future of those relationships and stewardships in taking care of ourselves, our neighbors, our animals, our land, our air, and our water.

Good, clean, safe, just food has never been so important and especially in this election year.  The message from the slow food movement is that the government needs to take notice and set an agenda.  With the high price of food and oil, and the energy and health crisis something needs to be done. A few on the panel were hopeful that change would come with a new President (sitting in the audience I felt like any of the panelists could run for office - and get my vote).  Alice Waters wants the incoming President to plant a vegetable garden at the White House - why not?  Journalists/Authors, Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser explained how food is interconnected to values and ethics and the treatment of workers and animals.  Founder and President of Green for All, Van Jones talked about the socioeconomic issues that surround food and the changes that can be made in individual lives and communities by having access to slow foods and creating new “green collar jobs.” Writer, Poet, Farmer, Wendell Berry eloquently outlined the need and honor in farming and his own experience of his slow food way of life and writing for past 30 plus years (he named our own Gene Lodson as being “out there” with him).  And Slow Food Executive Director Anya Fernald explained that we need to educate the educators in schools about food and nutrition.  And Alice Waters discussed the need to reconnect everyone to nature, which is always easiest with children (farming and agriculture education should be another excuse for them to get in the dirt).

There was a lot of discussion about the slow food movement and where the founders and board would like it to go from here.  Of course more events in more cities with more local chapters and more members are some the hopes for the future.  The final panel also gave ideas and suggestions for how each individual sitting in the audience could help further the movement and education about good, clean, fair food.  Spreading the word (thus this blog) is one of them.

I thoroughly enjoy Michael Pollan’s writing and discoveries in The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. It has been a big eye opener for me, as to how and where we get our food.  At the event I purchased a letterpress text of Michael Pollan’s An Eater’s Manifesto from In Defense of Food, which I think should be adopted by the government instead of the food pyramid and calorie counting school standards that Americans are fed today.  If you haven’t seen or read it, here it is…

An Eater’s Manifesto

Eat Food. Not too Much.  Mostly Plants.

Eat Slowly.

Try Not To Eat Alone.

Have A Glass Of Wine With Dinner.

Don’t Eat Anything Your Great Grandmother Wouldn’t Recognize As Food.

Avoid Food Products Containing Ingredients That Are Unfamiliar, Unpronounceable Or More Than Five In Number.

Shop The Peripheries Of The Supermarket And Stay Out Of The Middle.

Don’t Get Your Fuel From The Same Place Your Car Does.

Pay More.  Eat Less.

Eat Well-Grown Foods From Healthy Soils.

Eat Wild Foods When You Can.

Cook And, If You Can, Plant A Garden.

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See also Lisa’s Getting Greener or Getting Fooled - Label Deception
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Lisa Barnes is author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler, and Williams-Sonoma: Cooking For Baby, and lives in Sausalito, California.
Images Credit: Slow Food Nation’s website
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
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From Lisa Barnes

This recipe is a basic one for a baby’s bottle or sippy cup. It delivers a punch of vitamins for a child (or any age) needing a liquid diet or pick-me-up. These vegetable will be very mushy; however, there’s no need to waste them. Reserved vegetables can be mashed or pureed for baby.

Makes about 3 cups

1 quart cold water
1 cup (3 or 4 ounces) organic cauliflower florets
1 cup (2 to 3 ounces) organic broccoli florets
1 cup organic collard or dandelion greens, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 cup (3 to 4 ounces) organic carrots, cut into rounds

Place water in a medium pot with a lid. Add vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cover pot. Cook for 1 hour. Strain broth and reserve vegetables. These can be pureed or mashed for baby. Serve warm or cool in a cup or bottle for baby. This broth freezes well in ice cube trays for later use.

Tip: Not just baby broth! This is a great broth for many ages and uses. It can be a liquid meal for someone under the weather, a calcium-rich soup for baby, or a flavorful liquid for poaching meats and fish. Always having broth cubes in the freezer means lots of cooking options for you and your family.
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See also Lisa’s O.K. Babies… Ready, Set, Eat! (Organic Baby Food Puree Recipes)
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Lisa Barnes is author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler, and Williams-Sonoma: Cooking For Baby, and lives in Sausalito, California.
Image Credit: © Kati Neudert | Dreamstime.com
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
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From Lisa Barnes

Here are some quick snacks to bring along for day trips, out for a stroll, or have on hand for school. These snacks are easy to make and don’t need a real recipe, only your imagination and your child’s appetite.

If making snacks for school or day care, consult the administration’s policies for appropriate and banned food items. Many schools are now nut and nut butter free due to students with severe allergies in attendance.

Remember, vegetables and fruits can make their own snacks with a little extra effort to make them appealing to children. I recommend that moms always carry a fresh avocado and banana in their diaper bag. They are appropriate for all ages, need no refrigeration (until cut), and need no preparation.

Organic natural peanut butter is a good source of protein and makes a healthy snack paired with the following foods:

◊ Spread on chunks of organic apple.

◊ Spread on toast with a slice of cheddar or Swiss cheese.

◊ Sandwiched between two waffles or pancakes.

◊ Spread on wheat tortilla, topped with a banana rolled up.

Organic vegetables and fruits can make their own snacks with a little extra effort to make them special and appealing to children.

◊ Celery stick spread with cream cheese and sprinkled with raisins.

◊ Zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, spread with Spring Spread (see below), then put back together.

◊ A cored apple stuffed with granola or cereal.

◊ Spinach leaves stuffed with hummus and vegetable sticks.

◊ Lettuce leaves stuffed with egg and olive spread and rolled.

When the bag of toasted oat cereal isn’t enough, or your child needs variety, trail mixes are an easy “to go” snack. Besides the Trail Mix Treat recipe, here are some suggestions:

◊ Handful of toasted oat cereal mixed with raisins.

◊ Handful of granola mixed with dried apricots and cranberries.

◊ Handful of dried fruit chunks mixed with wheat pretzels.

◊ Handful of chopped raw almonds mixed with dried fruit chunks.

Organic Pita bread makes a handy and healthy pocket to stuff you child’s favorite fillings.

◊ Stuff with lettuce, avocado, and cheese sticks.

◊ Stuff with spinach and hummus.

◊ Stuff with leftover meats.

Lavosh or flatbread and tortillas make a neat roll-up for little hands. These rolls can also be cut for a special, colorful presentation, almost like sushi!

◊ Spread with roasted red pepper puree and vegetable sticks, and roll.

◊ Spread with tomato sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and roll.

Bagels make a good platform for lots of spread and fillings. Broken into tiny pieces, bagels can be dipped into hummus or goat cheese for young eaters. You can even cut them in half and remove some of the bread, so filling stays in better and the bagel is not so filling for little tummies. Here are a few options:

◊ Spread organic tomato sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and chopped veggies, like a pizza.

◊ Stuff with cottage cheese and sliced organic strawberries.

◊ Stuff with omelet pieces.

◊ Spread with nectarine or other fruit butters.

Waffles and pancakes can be good for making fun sandwiches and rolls.

◊ Spread pancakes with cream cheese and any fruit puree and roll up.

◊ Spread peanut butter and all-fruit spread between two waffles.

◊ Layer scrambled eggs between waffles for a breakfast sandwich.
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Organic Spring Spread Recipe

This was a favorite of mine while a freshman at U.C. Davis. On a nice sunny day, I would stop at the coffeehouse and order a wheat bagel with spring spread to take with me to eat on the quad. Years later I was cooking for a two-year-old whose mother was worried she wasn’t eating enough vegetables. She loved cream cheese, so my college favorite became her morning breakfast. Try using different organic vegetables, such as grated zucchini or finely chopped celery, for variety. Besides bagels, this spread doubles as a dip for carrot and celery sticks, or cracker cut-outs listed below.

Makes about ½ cup

4 ounces organic cream cheese, whipped or softened
2 tablespoons grated organic carrot
2 tablespoons finely diced organic red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely diced green chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill, thyme, or rosemary, or combination
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl with a rubber spatula until creamy.

Tip: You may want to chop the vegetables more finely depending on your child’s issues with texture. For particular eaters, you can process the mixture in a food processor so it’s tougher to pick out the veggies.

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Please see also Lisa’s Easy, Creative Organic Dips For Kids
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Lisa Barnes is author of The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler, and Williams-Sonoma: Cooking For Baby, and lives in Sausalito, California.
Image Credit: © Lana Langlois | Dreamstime.com
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
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