Beorc - Berkana

And so we begin again…

The Nordic Rune Beorc (also known as Berkana) represents the birch, a symbol of rebirth/renewal and is associated with spirituality

Welcome to the relaunch of my blog - yes, I did what I swore I wouldn't do, I became an absentee blogger for a year. Stopping went against the plan and indeed knowledge of my distraction from the blog lurked in the back of my mind like a guilty secret for most of the year. But I was riding the ADD rail and you don't usually get a choice of destination, you just hang on and hope to arrive intact. 

There has been a name change, a few template changes even though it does resemble the previous one, and there have been some removals of posts I didn't feel were a part of the original vision for the blog - just evidence of when I veered off course. However, the 'mission statement' and the heart and soul behind it remain unchanged. My statement is shop local, shop small, shop right with a sidebar of pragmatism I call 'just shut up and eat it'. Our attention is so taken up with the minutiae of food nutrition and health information that we lack focus on the truly pertinent details.

I am a firm advocate of small farms and markets, which you will see if you look at my earlier posts - markets that care about the quality of the foods they produce. The food that we obtain from the supermarkets typically contain 30-50% less nutrients than just a few generations ago and chemical usage is up to astronomical percentages. That was true when I first wrote about it and it remains true, sadly.

Most grains we ingest, knowingly and unknowingly, have been tampered with both genetically and in terms of what chemicals they have been exposed to as seed and seedling, all in the name of consistent profit for 'them' and health risks/ depleted genetic diversity for us and the plant kingdom.

Land that used to belong to small farms that could have remained in their and their descendants hands had the government chosen to support small businesses rather than persecute them, is now given over to Factory Food growers who push the land to its limits and beyond. The Powers that Be are handing over prime agro areas to foreign interests that in turn sell us what we could be doing for ourselves, all in the name of pandering to BigBusiness. (google Melanctin Ontario for a prime example of an attempt)

Diversification is slowly but steadily becoming a non-word, a non-issue as small producers of heritage breeds are being dogged and harassed out of business and this will continue until we have a perverse rendition of Noah's Ark occuring... We will have only one kind of chicken, one cow, one pig, one sheep and you will buy them from a BigBusiness grower. All heritage breeds will be lost to time and knowledge. This is not an issue for just farmers but for our own future. Heritage breed growers are the keepers of the past, not just for a euphemistic historical symbol but for the fact that they are not tampered with through scientific manipulation or through heavy chemical exposure. That surely is important enough to alarm everyone at the threat to their existence.

Unification is the goal. That is the plan, the ideal plan for a modern government. Diversification is expensive. Standardization, conformity and consistency is cheap - cheap to regulate, cheap to administer, cheap to enforce. 

If there are no choices, no 'wrong' choice can be made.

By making the choice to shop local and in season, by finding quality small markets for your shopping needs, you not only vote against Factory Food with your wallets, you gain a new perspective and appreciation for your food; gain a foothold to better health for you and your family; gain a greater involvement in your community and you keep the money circulating within your community. On a side note, by shopping local you help diminish the carbon footprint that our food shipping creates on a daily basis.

My goal remains the same - to share some pragmatism and hard won wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is power. We should be and feel empowered, especially when it comes to our food sources.

 I wish to share my love of food, love of cooking and my love for learning. I admire those that live close to the land and live a life that is hard but rewarding in the sense of freedom that subsistent living can engender. In an ideal world, I would still be living a part of the life I had during my childhood. 

I would be growing my own food for my family, shopping at a neighbours for a side of beef and picking up what vegetables I didn't grow myself from a farmers market at the weekend. My bread would be hand made and filling the house with the yeasty smells of yesterday and made with unbleached locally milled flour. I would have a dairy room where I would make fresh and aged cheeses and a cold cellar where I would store my surplus foods for the winter. My canned and preserved goods would line the walls of the cellar, on their shelves, bright like jewels; standing like ceremonial and decorated soldiers. 

There are those that can live that life and I do so envy them for their determination, their drive, their ideals and their challenges. However, we all can't live that life, not unless necessity drives us there. Does that mean we can't live a better life than the one we are 'meant' to have in today's society? According to media we are supposed to shop Big, eat Big, drive Big and live Big or we are not patriotic, we don't support our countries. It is a load of codswallop but we are force-fed it nonetheless. The screaming fanatics from both sides of the issue would have you believe in an all or nothing campaign but I believe that we can live better in terms of our health and lifestyle choices that can blend with our budgets, time constraints and general level of interest. I don't believe in all or nothings, just win-wins. 

I want to show everyone that it is possible to be earth-friendly, wallet-friendly, and health-friendly while still living a modern lifestyle of your choice. I want to show you that food is our friend, our lifelong companion, our drug of choice, our survival kit, or arsenal if you will, for a long and enjoyable life.

Thank you for joining me :) You will notice changes occurring over the next few days/weeks as I find my footing again and begin walking in the direction that holds my destination. Thank you for coming along.

Be safe. Be happy. Be well.

Click below to read the recipes I just posted or move to the right to the Pages tab and click on the Home button to see all posts.
Meyer Lemon Chicken
The Hen Party
all photographs and text ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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Why should you care?

                 

             

 

As Canadians we are extremely lucky to live in such an agriculturally prosperous country with ample space in which to stretch our mental and physical wings, breathe in clean air, grow our own food and maintain a healthy and active outdoor lifestyle. Unfortunately, a lot of us dwell in overcrowded, overstimulated and overweight cities where space, time and motivation to be healthy and stay healthy are limited. We are riding in cars or buses, taking elevators, sitting at desks at work and the couch or computer chair at home. We eat at BigFood dispensaries, shop in warehouse sized grocery stores and make choices there based upon convenience and expense.

You are what you eat

Statistics coming out of government sources are definitely discouraging in terms of health vs longevity; we're living longer but we are living sicker. It seems counter intuitive to have ninety to a hundred years of life if half that time is spent ill. Quality of life is a phrase often bandied about but rarely when concerning the food we eat and how it is grown in the factory conditions of industrial farming. Our foodstuffs garnered at the grocery store are uniform, glossy specimens of visual "health" but are sadly lacking in nutrition and flavour. I believe the common consensus is that todays fruits and vegetables have about half the nutrients of unaltered heirloom specimens from the past.  Exotic foods imported from far away paradise are irradiated and more often than not underripe-I don't know which is worse!

People- groups, government, individuals- have come to the realization that something has to be done beyond the availability of "farm markets" on Saturdays and Sundays in some larger towns. They are all well and good if you can find one but certainly not a standard amongst all communities. Concerned individuals and health conscious restaurants have taken to shopping at these markets but there are pitfalls that will catch the unwary. I have seem some inferior product on display at some markets. Organic or home grown foods will not have the same uniform shape or glossy condition as grocery stores but they should still look and feel fresh, ripe and in good condition. To confuse matters more, plenty of markets carry foods that are out-of-season purchases from the same suppliers as the grocery stores. Are you getting full-nutrient foods if they are force grown under chemical conditions out of season? Why are they for sale at these markets?

                                           

Picking and Choosing

                Southern Ontario Seasonal Guide

• Rhubarb             May 10
• Strawberries       June 10
• Peas                   June 15
• Beans                 July 10
• Raspberries        July 10
• Cucumbers         July 10
• Pickling Cukes    July 10
• Zucchini             July 10
• Corn                   July 25
• Tomatoes           August 10
• Peppers, 

      sweet and hot  August 10

• Eggplant            August 10
• Squash               August 25
• Cabbage            August 25
• Gourds, Indian   September 1
• Corn, Pumpkins September 1

Knowing which vegetables are in season will go a long way to helping you avoid foods that are available in markets but are not necessarily forming a good nutrient value to dollar expense ratio. For example, buying cauliflower in May regardless of location will not result in a purchase that is home grown on the farm and freshly harvested but greenhouse grown and harvested a few days ago. It may be "on special" but in terms of nutrient value it will be less than ideal. Getting to know your community is essential for building trust when you are handing over your hard earned money for their goods so the character of the market sellers is vital knowledge to have.

So, there you are wanting to be a part of Slow Food and feed your family healthier foods, shopping responsibly at farm markets, bringing your cloth bag, and expanding your culinary skills and I am telling you you're doing it wrong. Not true. Your intentions are perfect; execution is where the flaws are apparent.  You are told to eat healthier but are not told how to accomplish this feat in todays Good Food vs Industrial Food environment. 

Well, you could grow your own food, provided you have adequate space, light, ease of maintenance (important!) and dedication (goes with ease of maintenance). Adequate growing space can be anything from a balcony/patio with pots for a one or two person household to an acre of raised beds for a suburbanite family of four. We could lump time, ease of maintenance and dedication into one as each can influence the others and it can vary immensely from a simple watering to an afternoon spent weeding, cultivating and watering and an evening spent pampering your aching back and wimpering. Depending on your circumstances,  growing your own food can be rewarding and challenging, demanding and profitable. Profitable? Yes, in terms of money saved on daily groceries as well as gift giving of preserved or "canned" goods. Nothing beats a hostess basket or mother-in-law gift of preserved goodies (especially when it's last minute because you forgot!)

Esprit de Corps

You probably spend a lot of time perusing labels in the grocery aisle, trying to remember the good and the bad, proportions, daily intake, whether or not you need more fibre and on and on and on. Can you really see your self hunting down organically grown, pasture raised, mumbled over by a hedge witch perfect foods? That seems to be the only advice coming from fresh food fanatics of which I am not one. I am more pragmatic than that. I say, shop seasonally at trusted farm gate stand or community farm markets where you know the eggs you buy are not from battery or enclosed lay-ers but lay-ers that eat bugs under the sun;the meat is pastured raised on nutritious grasses and not grain fed in a feedlot;the vegetables you buy are in season, locally grown, and with as little of chemical use as possible ideally certified organic. If you get to know the owners you can quiz them on their growing practices politely and more than likely you will get the truth. It helps if you are also a customer.

Pragmatism Rules!

Sometimes compromises must be made in the name of a healthy diet; compromises between fresh and not so fresh(canned), butcher shop or supermarket meat counter. Sometime the recipe you are dying to try is made up of all exotic ingredients. Sometimes making your own bread or churning your own butter is not going to be a feasible option. There are going to be numerous times you have to choose supermarket over farm market and that is just life. The point is to be aware of the opportunities to make better choices and exercise those options as often as you can.

There are pantry staples that can be home canned, for the most part easily but relying on store bought, Ontario/Canada grown and processed goods are a fine substitute. Off season, frozen vegetables can have the same level of nutrients as fresh so are a wonderful option for a veggie dish that is quick and easy. You may not be able to visit a butcher shop that supplies pasture fed meats but choosing as close to it as possible such as no hormones, antibiotics and limited confinement of the animals is a good choice. Check with your butcher if you do go to one, for Heritage breeds and inquire about their aging process and the availablility of ordering pastured animals. Purchasing Heritage breeds ensures the continuation of the breed ::supply and demand. 

Do you often go for Sunday drives in the country, drive back roads on the way to the beach or to visit the Grandparents? Why not stop off at a farm stand to pick up in season veg or farm fresh, farmyard-raised eggs? In the winter months, shopping for eggs and veg at the grocery store is a needful thing not a shameful thing. In the summer months, the availablility of farm stands negates this necessity. I know that sounds preachy but really, a fact is a fact.

Canning Like a Grandma

Canning or preserving can stretch a food budget more than elastic on a pair of track pants after Thanksgiving dinner. Canning acidic foods is cheap, easy and consists of many re-usable components that makes it a cheap investment as well. Canning non-acidic foods requires more expensive equipment and more knowledge but expands the variety of foods available to you over the winter and early spring months.

You may feel some trepidation about canning, either water or pressure canning, but it is not as difficult as you may believe. There is such a delicious incentive as well; think crunchy pickles made in one afternoon, from buying to cleaning to wiping the jars and applying the labels; think spicy, aromatic tomato sauce bubbling on the stove in February that only took a couple of days to put up the August before. A little bit of effort goes a long way to improving your food budget and culinary masterpieces during the winter months.

                                                              and it does make for a pretty pantry...

An alternative to pressure canning your non-acidic dishes is freezing which is an easy and inexpensive way of capturing summer sunniness to enjoy in the darkness later on. Grean beans, peas, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, tomatoes and tomato sauce, fresh soups etc are just some of the delicious food ideas that you can utilize in your freezing-to-preserve adventures.

The Bottom Line

So what does all this mean? How are you supposed to incorporate healthy, inexpensive foods into your diet instead of relying upon processed and packaged foods? Does this mean you have to give up you Kraft Dinner? Hell no! Don't even think it! But how about adding some in season green and red vegetable and some locally sourced meat sizzling alongside? Sound do-able?

I am of the opinion that to be a responsible shopper you have to include whether or not your food is locally sourced, humanely grown and financially feasible to purchase as well as what the calories and nutrients may be. I don't think it is necessary to be a vegan, or a hair shirt wearing hermit, or an environmentalist, animal rights fanatic and tree hugger to be a responsible shopper. There is a middle ground where most people would be comfortable living in and I firmly believe in it. I also enjoy giving this knowledge away so that more people support their local food growers and really become aware of the lifespan and quality of life of both themselves and the food they eat. I strongly encourage people to take drives in the surrounding countryside where they live and find those farm stands. Only by voting with our wallets will availablility and price become more comfortable for everyone. Humans crave habit and routine and if you accept these ideas into your routine, your good habits, you will find they incorporate themselves seamlessly and are easy to live with.

                                                         

text: Chelle Elle

all photographs found on Google Images

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