ARTICLES  ABOUT  FOOD

• Food Threat
• Extending the Harvest: Tips on Food Preservation  
• Eat your oats – Concluded the scientists
• Mad cow disease in the U.S.
• Genetically engineered crops
• Organic toxic sludge

History and uses of oats

Lance Gibson and Garren Benson write about oat. They say, “little history of oat is known prior to the time of Christ. Oats did not become important to man as early as wheat or barley. Oats probably per­sisted as a weed like plant in other cereals for centuries prior to being cultivated by itself. Some authorities believe that our present cultivated oats developed as a mutation from wild oats. They think this may have taken place in Asia Minor or south­eastern Europe not long before the birth of Christ.

Probably the oldest known oat grains were found in Egypt among remains of the 12th Dynasty, which was about 2,000 B.C. These probably were weeds and not actually cultivated by the Egyptians. The oldest known cultivated oats were found in caves in Switzerland that are believed to belong to the Bronze Age.

Oats have been used as livestock and human foods since ancient times. Some have been used as pasture, hay or silage; but most have been used as a feed grain. Oat straw has been important bedding for livestock through history.” In Samuel Johnson's dictionary, oats were defined as "eaten by people in Scotland, but fit only for horses in England." The Scotsman's retort to this is, "That's why England has such good horses, and Scotland has such fine men!"(1)

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There has been an increase in oats used for human food in recent years. Oat Bran has received considerable attention from the medical community for its nutritional value and its health enhancing roles. One and a half ounces of raw, rolled oats contain 160 calories, 3.5 grams of fat or 1.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat and 1.3 grams of monounsaturated fat, 2.8 grams of fiber, 2.5 micrograms of folic acid, 0.7 mg of vitamin E and that oat is a good source of B vitamins. Oats contain more linoleic acid, B vitamins, vitamin E, soluble fiber and protein than other grains. (2)

Including oat in our diet regularly has various beneficial effects:

• Oats have gained a valuable reputation for lowering blood cholesterol levels. Studies show that a person who eats 1 ½ ounces of oatmeal each day will show a loss of 3% in total cholesterol and a 14% reduction in bad cholesterol after two months.
• Oats are good for diabetics since they prolong the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. This means dramatic changes in blood sugar levels are less likely to occur. “ oats contain polysaccharide components called beta-glucans. Researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto concluded from their human clinical trial that oat beta-glucans are a useful functional food ingredient for reducing postprandial glycemia. In the study, diabetic subjects were randomly assigned to eat a prototype beta-glucan cereal type, a commercial oat bran breakfast cereal or white bread. The beta-glucan bar had a significantly lower glycemic index than the other two treatments, leading researchers to conclude the addition of beta-glucan predictably reduced glycemic index while maintaining palatability.”(3)
• Oat fiber helps constipation.
• Cooked oatmeal is great for the heart. Ron Kennedy, M.D. promotes oat as well. He states, “the U.S. Government has now determined that the amount of beta-glucan needed to impact your heart health is approximately 0.75 gram per serving.”(4)
• Smokers who are trying to quit the habit are sometimes advised to eat ½ ounce of rolled oats per day. It seems to help calm the nerves, curbing withdrawal symptoms.
• Oat fiber is a rich source of water-soluble beta-glucans, which have been associated with the ability to enhance the function of the immune system significantly. The gum in the oats promotes the production of protective intestinal lubricant, and now appears to improve the adhesive capabilities and the growth rates of beneficial bacteria strains.

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Is mad cow disease causing thousands of human deaths in the U.S.?

Thanks to a massive marketing blitz (funded by scarce taxpayer money) the U.S. Government has been working overtime to alleviate the public's concerns about Mad Cow Disease and its human counterpart Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD). Consumers no longer know who to trust. Regardless, experts on all sides of the political spectrum agree with one basic fact: the two diseases are undeniably connected. In both cases, aberrant proteins, known as prions, begin to multiply and literally cause holes in the brain, ultimately leading to death. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, hundreds of CJD human fatalities have been occurring in the U.S. every year, but until now, they have simply been written off as unexplainable and spontaneous cases. At the same time, it is well known that ingesting meat contaminated with these prions causes the same fatal reaction to occur in the human body. Based on that basic understanding, coupled with the fact that the vast majority of U.S. cattle are never tested for Mad Cow Disease, scientists like Dr. Michael Gregor, a world renowned expert on the issue, and dozens of research institutions around the world are now linking these deaths to the food supply.

 Source: http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/GregerCJD.cfm

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The Bush Administration gave the USDA Secretary of Agriculture position to Anne Venemon (who once served on Monsanto's Calgene Board of Directors). She appointed Dale Moore as her Chief of Staff. Prior to playing his new role of "protecting" consumers from food safety threats like Mad Cow Disease, Dale Moore was the chief lobbyist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Source: http://www.usda.gov/agencies/gallery/moore.htm

Although the U.S. banned beef imports and frowned upon the UK when Mad Cow Disease related CJD began to take the lives of British citizens, recently revealed documents show little has been done to protect U.S. consumers from similar outbreaks within our own borders. In fact, internal USDA papers dating back to 1991 show that the U.S. government (and related lobbyists) have been basing food safety related decisions  on corporate profit margins over human health. Specifically, the USDA refused precautionary measures that would mitigate the possible outbreak of Mad Cow Disease, stating that "the cost to the livestock and rendering industries would be substantial." This assessment may be true, depending on what the price of human life is. Indeed, the cost of testing all cattle for this fatal disease would add 3 to 5 pennies per pound to the price of beef.

Reference: Rampton, S and J. Stauber. Mad Cow USA Common Courage Press; 
Source: http://prwatch.org/books/madcow.html

Last year, while the E.U. tested 10 million cattle for Mad Cow, the U.S. only tested 20,526 cows out of 35 million slaughtered. In response to this threat to food safety and consumer rights, the OCA has launched a massive campaign to pressure the USDA into creating standards that emulate those of Japan and the EU. Every day, thousands of citizens are signing on to this important petition. Help the OCA in achieving its goal of gathering over a million petition signatures, demanding that the U.S. Government adopt and enforce: ~ Mandatory testing for all cattle brought to slaughter, before they enter the food chain. ~ Ban the feeding of blood, manure, and slaughterhouse waste to animals.

Please forward this email to family and friends!
Sign the petition here: http://organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

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The Mad Cow Disease outbreak in the UK sent off global warning signals, regarding various beef industry practices that perpetuate the disease. On the top of this list was the logical push to ban feeding cows to other cows, since the disease spreads via ingestion of infected beef. Despite this, in order to maximize profit margins in the U.S., calves are regularly fed cow blood as a protein supplement.  The OCA is coordinating a donation drive to post a quarter page educational ad in the Sunday Washington Post, highlighting the obvious threats of cow cannibalism to the human food supply. Check out the ad and consider donating to this educational campaign!

Source: http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/gotblood.cfm

Family farmers vs. transnational corporations

In Mendocino County CA, voters will be deciding whether or not to ban genetically modified crops, to protect the county's organic farmers from possible contamination from neighboring GE crops. The vote will be held March 2, 2004 and would make the county the first in the U.S. to pass an anti-GMO resolution. The biotech industry has responded with a goliath investment into persuading the voters of the county against the measure. Indeed, the biotech battle plan is to call every household in the county with a paid 20-30 minute conversation, in order to assuage voter concerns about GE issues. Can Mendocino organic family farmers compete with transnational corporations?

Your help is needed: http://www.gmofreemendo.com/

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Much of what you flush down your toilet likely ends up being spread on local farm fields as fertilizer for the food you eat. At face value, it seems like a perfectly natural process. Historically, manure has been a preferred fertilizer for farmers worldwide. In the U.S. 60% of sewage sludge is treated, dried and shipped out to the farm.  Proponents claim the sludge has only low levels of bacteria, but what about the chemicals homeowners and industry dump into the wastewater system? Those toxins don't just disappear. When applied to the soil, they work their way into the ground water, the air, and the plants we eat. Award winning scientist, David Lewis, a microbiologist, was recently fired from the Environmental Protection Agency for his criticism of the U.S. Government's sewage sludge policies. Lewis and  likeminded opponents question how the EPA, in 1992, determined that  sewage sludge was too toxic to continue dumping in the oceans, yet  it's perfectly legal to apply the same stuff to food crops intended  for human ingestion. The EPA is now considering selling this same sludge under the label "organic compost".

Write a letter to the EPA, expressing your concerns: http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/sludge011504.cfm

This is the time of year when many of us find ourselves with too many tomatoes or peppers or onions to know what to do with.  We have worked hard to grow this wonderful produce and the last thing we want is to see it go to waste.  Of course there is always the option of putting the excess on the compost heap and allowing it to contribute to next year’s harvest but wouldn’t it be nice if we could salvage at least some of it for our nutritional needs and culinary pleasure during the long winter months?  Here are some suggestions for making that possible.

Harvesting
For storage purposes, choose your most perfect specimens, un-bruised or damaged fruits and vegetables.  Pick them on a day when the weather is cool and dry so the produce is not wet or heat stressed.  Brush off loose dirt but do not wash.

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Curing
As far as the bulbs (onions, garlic, shallots) are concerned, the first thing you should do is to cure them.  That involves 1.) spreading them in a dry, shady spot, 2.) cutting off the tops and roots – near the base of the bulb and 3.) letting them dry until the tops are quite dry and the outer skin is papery thin.  If the weather is rainy, step one should be done on screens indoors.  Once these bulbs are sufficiently dried they can be hung in mesh bags from the ceiling of your basement, garage or a spare room.  However, be forewarned that the “fragrance” of the bulb, especially garlic, will permeate the area in which they are stored, at least for a while.  Humidity in the bulb storage area should not be higher than 70%
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Types of Storage

Indoor
Many vegetables can be stored indoors in wooden crates or boxes but this should be done in a cool, dark area such as a basement or un-heated spare room.  Some vegetables, especially the root vegetables will require high humidity, in the 80 – 95% range.  The vegetables should be set in such a way in their storage boxes so they do not touch each other.  Such root vegetables as carrots, brussel sprouts, Chinese cabbage and leeks should be dug up with their roots intact and stored in boxes of moist (not wet) builders sand, exactly as they were growing in the ground and, again, not touching each other.   They should be sprinkled occasionally with water.  The roots will not grow but will draw moisture from the sand.  Carrots will keep all winter.

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Outdoor
Window Well – Line the bottom of a window well with dry twigs, leaves and some straw or hay.  Alternate layers of straw or hay with the vegetables, making sure that the veggies do not touch each other.  Put a board over the top and cover the entire thing with a tarp or heavy plastic held down with bricks or stones.

Pit – Dig a pit or a trench, 2-3 feet deep. Cover the bottom with layers of stones and cover the stones with dry leaves or straw.  Put vegetables in a barrel or metal garbage can, alternating layers of straw, dry leaves or wood chips with the vegetables.  Put the containers in the pit and pack straw or hay around them with a 6 inch layer on top.  Cover the pit with a board and anchor the board with bricks or stones.

Cold Frame – Cold frames can be used for storage as well as for growing vegetables in the cold winter months.  Layer the vegetables with packing material (same as for window well or pit) ending with a 6 inch layer of packing material.  Cover the lid of the cold frame with a tarp to keep out light and anchor the tarp.

Processing
If you are going to process some of your fall harvest by freezing or canning, process them as soon after they are picked as possible and store them in usable quantities.

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Freezing
Most fruits and vegetables, with the exception of leafy greens, can be frozen and, if properly prepared, will keep well from one harvest to the next.  They should be prepared for freezing as soon after picking as possible; immediately is best.  All produce should be thoroughly washed in cold water and drained before preparing for freezing but should not be left soaking.  Wash small amounts at a time with frequent changes of water.  Cores, pits, seeds, skins or shells should be removed.  Vegetables are generally scalded or parboiled and then plunged into ice water.  Many fruits can just be peeled, if necessary, and sliced before “dry-freezing” but many people like to sprinkle the fruit with a little bit of sugar to bring out some of the juice and create a syrup.  A natural sugar such as Sucanat is recommended. All frozen produce should be stored in good quality freezer bags or heavy-duty plastic wrap and packages should be sealed so that they are air and moisture-proof.  It’s also important to label and date each item.  You may want to make a puree of certain items such as spinach, pumpkin, squash, cranberries and strawberries before freezing.  The purees can be used in recipes, as sauces or simply served by themselves.

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A Word About Canning
My German born grandparents lived on a dairy farm in Albany, Minnesota.  When I was a child my grandmother would send us a box of goodies for Christmas which included canned fruit spreads from her own garden.  They were wonderful!  Canning is time-consuming, tricky and, if not done properly can be dangerous.  Very few people in our society have the time to learn about this process or to do it properly.  For those reasons we will not discuss it in this article.  However, if you do have the time and want to learn this time-honored means of extending the harvest, there are still books on the market that will tell you how to do it.  Or, better yet, find a grandmother who can teach you.

Recommended Reading:  Too Many Tomatoes, Squash, Beans and Other Good Things by Lois M. Landau and Laura G. Myers.
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Spiritual Food CSA

4209 East-West Highway Chevy Chase, MD 20815
tel: 301-654-4899, e-mail: info@spiritualfoodcsa.org