Mindful Eats

Response to Budiansky on Local Foods

Eat the best quality whole foods you can - you're worth it!

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. ~Emily Kimbrough 

Lots of people have asked what MindfulEats things of the Stephan Budiansky oped on locavores in the NYT last week. First of all, we love that people are talking about farming and sustainable growing, so we think it's great! Mr. Budiansky makes some good points for the specialized growing of food.

However, it doesn't quite factor in all the variables to tell the full story.  We look at food three ways:

1. Wallet cost
2. Taste quality
3. Environmental cost

We think there are many kinds of buyers out there, and we want to get whole foods to all of them. 

For those that are budget watchers, we agree with Mr. Budiansky that shipping on a large scale is very efficient. The tomatoes shipped from California are going to be the cheapest since they are picked early (before they are ripe) to prevent spoilage then packed on a large scale. They aren't going to the best tasting, but we'd rather get fresh food (even conventional) into people on a regular basis if local foods are a little too expensive.

Tastewise, nothing beats food that is fresh and at it's peak. That's local food, slowly and sustainably grown. We love being able to eat raw corn that was picked that morning, and having bees swarm our peaches (that ripened on stem)  because they are sugar sweet. Unfortunately, there isn't a system right now to make local organic food cheap enough for everyone. 

Environmentally, the cost of transportation is up in the air - we're not sure if local or industrial costs us more greenwise - in fact, it may be a draw. Someone more scientific should write in and let us know. Long haul shipping might be more efficient, but we think that local organic farming methods (rotating several types of crops to let the land rest and limiting chemicals vs. specializing in one crop that exhausts the soil) is best for the environment. It's the same with livestock. It's a beautiful cycle when cows graze the land and poop (cows have poor digestive systems; so their manure has a lot of nutrients when they are on grass), and pigs follow the cows to root around in their manure looking for bits (conveniently breaking the poop down for chickens), then having the chickens peck around and break the poop down even more so it's ultimately easily biodegradable. Maybe it's the romantic in us, but we believe that a sustainable cycle like that is best for the earth.  It's more expensive, but we think it's worth an additional $15 a week. 

Bottom line: buy local and organic if you can. You'll get the best tasting food, support the local economy and have green cred. If you can't, buy the cheapest whole foods you can. You'll still be doing the best thing for your health!

Want to learn more?

• Stephan Budiansky oped on locavores 
• Why you should pay more for food (because you're worth it and it's the best investment you can make in your health)

What I ate: latte + 2% NYMilk,, peaches, macadamia nuts, Whole Foods whole yogurt + flaxseeds + strawberries, whole wheat spaghetti + Rao's sauce, heirloom tomatoes + basil + pasta, parmesan cheese, 4 squares dark chocolate, coffee, raspberry tea, steamed corn, 3 bites rabbit pot pie, walnuts & almonds, Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, 45 oz. water

Exercise: None

Benefits of Hemp Milk, Part 2

 Hemp milks from Living Harvest and Pacific 

A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. ~Elbert Hubbard

I'm eating my words about hemp milk. After my last post on hemp milk, Living Harvest came out with a new formula so I tried it again. And... it's tasty! All the nutritional information stays the same - it's still loaded with Omega 3 and 6 and essential amino acids. Hemp also grows quickly without needing much water and requiring pesticides, so it's environmental. Bonus!

Living Harvest's Tempt formula is ultra creamy, and there are no grains in sight or on your palate. It's also white instead of the weird gray color it used to be. The color might only be a cosmetic improvement, but the taste is an absolute step forward. I would even call it good. Oddly enough, this new improved version seems to be price lower. Personally I like Living Harvest since it is unsweetened, but the other brands are nice if you like flavoring.

Bottom line: Nutritious and delicious 

What I ate: latte, 2 peaches, hardboiled egg, macadamia nuts, heirloom tomatoes + basil + pasta, parmesan cheese, 3 squares dark chocolate, coffee, 1 brownie, Trader Joe's freeze dried mangos, Raw Milk Cheddar and Colby NYCheese, quinoa, steamed tofu + tatsoi, Dr. Bronners Amino Acids, Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, 50 oz. water

Exercise: 45 minutes weights

Summer Tomatoes, Basil, Garlic and Pasta

 Heirloom tomatoes, basil, garlic scapes and fusilli

A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins. ~Laurie Colwin

One of the few concessions I make to "cooking" during the summer is boiling water for pasta or grains. Roasted vegetables are a staple part of my diet for most of the year, but during the summer, they morph into tomatoes, basil and garilc. I often make a large batch during the weekend then pack it in for lunch during the week.

This "recipe" is so simple it's really more of a guideline. The ingredients are the star. The farmer's market is the perfect place to pick up the produce. It doesn't matter what type of tomato you use as long as they are delicious - feel free to use a mix of different varieties. During the early summer I've been substituting garlic scapes for cloves - mostly for fun and ease. Dial ingredients up or down according to your personal taste.

Summer Tomatoes, Basil and Pasta

Serves 4

4 med - large ripe tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes, but use the tastiest tomatoes available - beefsteak, garden or grape. If you use smaller ones, just use more)
1 cup chopped basil
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic or 1 garlic scape
1 lb whole wheat pasta
1 cup olive oli
1/3-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Semi-fill a large pot with water and put over high to boil.
2. Dice garlic and place in a large bowl with olive oil
3. Chop tomatoes into bite size pieces
4. Remove stems from basil and chop leaves into shreds
5. Combine tomatoes and basil with olive oil and garlic
6. Boil pasta when water is ready
7. Drain pasta when ready. Combine into bowl. If your bowl's not big enough, mix everything in the pasta pot.
8. Add parmesan, salt and pepper.

Enjoy summer's bounty!

What I ate: 1/2 bagel, coffee + milk, heirloom tomatoes + basil + pasta,  parmesan cheese, cherries, macadamia nuts, 40 oz. water

Exercise: none

Buying Organic Food Cheap(er) or with Less Bugs

Organic produce from Gorzynski Ornery Farm 

Life is a sum of all your choices. ~Albert Camus

Have you ever found bugs in your organic produce? We've had a couple recent conversations with people that wanted to stop buying organic because of the bugs. That's nuts! Bugs are gross, but we're here to put them in perspective and let you know there's a range of organic food - in price and in bug levels. In general, the less buggy and more prewashed the produce, the more you'll pay. If you live in NYC you get an extra bonus since we'll show you a few of our favorite options.

Personally, MindfulEats loves that bugs will eat our food. It's the food that bugs won't eat that we find scary. If it's not good enough for an insect, it's definitely not good enough for us. If bugs are staying away, it's probably because of the chemicals (like pesticides) on the food. If it'll kill the bugs, it's not something that we want to eat or give to our loved ones. (Maybe we'd give it to our enemies though). Besides, it's a lot easier to get rid of insects than to wash out all the chemicals.

Bugs are icky, but not nearly as gross as invisible chemicals. We've even found a bug (rarely) in food from Whole Foods. If you really hate bugs, you can find super high-end organic farmers/retailers that preclean food so well, you'll never find a bug. If you're willing to put in extra work (like remove the occasional insect), then you can find cheaper organic produce. [On a side note: if you hate bugs in your food, you will probably hate conventional milk too, because it usually has a lot of pus in it (cows that can't move and eat pasture are usually sickly, so they emit pus in their milk)]. 

We went to the Union Square Greenmarket yesterday where there is a whole range of organic farmers and prices.

Norwich Meadows is the Rolls Royce of stands. Everything is beautifully presented, impeccably cleaned, certified organic and delicious. We can't figure out how they find the time to clean everything between picking the food and getting to the market. Nevertheless, they do. They are a favorite provider for Gramercy Tavern. They are also on the higher end of the price scale. If you really hate bugs, pay up and shop here.

We don't have the funds to always go top of the line, so we are more than happy to do the washing ourselves for a price break. We just inspect food more carefully at the point of purchase to get rid of the occasional insect. Here are some more moderately priced organic favorites:

Oak Grove Plantation from Hunterdon County, NJ. We bought succulent white peaches, heirloom tomatoes and corn. Bees were buzzing all around the peaches - that's how sweet they are. We actually took the bees as a good sign. Oak Grove used to be certified organic, but they stopped the certification since it's expensive, but they keep growing the same way. Peaches were $3.75/lb (about the same price as Whole Foods except those peaches are from California and Mexico), and they were $5/lb or $7/lb at other stands in the market. Heirloom tomatoes were $3.95/lb, up to $8/lb at other stands. The corn is delicious and five for $2.75. It was so fresh we ate it raw. Check out the husks for tell tale holes, or bug dust. Out of the five we bought, one had to be discarded - but we'll let them know next week, and we bet we'll get one back.

Gorzynski Ornery Farm from Sullivan County, NY. We bought huge bunches of kale and red chard. A slug was on a bunch of kale, so we pointed it out to the man at the stand. He nicely removed it.

Ryder Farm from Putnam Country, NY. Very cute and sweet stand. Basil for $2, summer squash for $1.75/lb. 

If you don't have the budget for organic, there are lots of great stands with conventionally grown food. The great thing is that you can ask the farmer yourself how the food is grown.

What to do - Buying at the Farmer's Market

1. Decide on your criteria. What's important to you and what's your budget? Do you want organically grown food? Food that is grown with integrated pest management? The most expensive, prewashed items? The cheapest possible food?
2. Walk around the market and take notes (mental or on paper). Don't buy anything yet. See what's in season and what you want to eat for the upcoming week. Note the prices. Ask the farmers how they grow their food. 
3. Go back and buy. Now you know the lay of the land - revisit the stands that you've targeted and pick up your groceries! If you are concerned about bugs, look over the greens for any intruders. Check the skin of fruits and vegetables for holes (stay away from those since they're usually made by a worm).

Want to learn more?

• The low-down on organic food
• How to shop a Farmer's Market

What I ate: strawberries, 3 white peaches, 16 oz. vegetable juice, latte, Raw Milk Cheddar NYCheese, Mindful Mix (macadamias, almonds, walnuts, goji berries, cranberries), whole wheat spaghetti + Rao's Siciliana + parmesan, 4 slice dried mangos, small original Pinkberry + blueberries + raspberries + mango + chocolate, Evolve pomegranate kefir, sauteed salmon, steamed red chard, brown rice, Stonyfield vanilla chai ice cream, 40 oz. water

Exercise: Jogged 5 miles