Category Archives: digging deep

getting back in the groove

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beef stew

making lemonade out of lemons – Julia Child style. 

Slowly…. slowly. Since life is getting in the way (darn public school germs, and broken freezer with 100+ lbs of meat inside, among other things), and I reached that point in the year that I started to resent my tomato plants, I took a little brain break. But today it’s fifty degrees outside, so I am going to plant my garlic and pull out my bean teepee and rake my leaves, dammit. Hold me accountable, please… just after I finish my breakfast.

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One of the perks of all the summer travel I did was that I hung out in Huntington WV for a couple of days… and of course, I wrote about it.

…and in case you didn’t want to read it on the Food Revolution website, you can see it here too.

And if you haven’t seen what I wrote about the Month Without Monsanto challenge in October, take a peek. While I’m disappointed that Prop 37 didn’t pass in California, it came darn close, and awareness about GMOs has increased a lot as a result (check out the Cheerios Facebook protest, for example). It’s heartening to see more people start to question the corporate food model and want to know what’s really in their food. Makes me think that I’m not just shaking my fist at the sky for no reason.

here, there, and everywhere

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I was called on the carpet recently by a friend who pointed out I was slacking in the update department. So, to avoid further repercussions (which probably won’t be more than some facebook needling, but you never know), here’s what I’ve been doing when I haven’t been here.

1) Digging Deep Campaign: I think you already know that I write here, but if you don’t, now you do. Weekly (or as close to weekly as a crazed working mom can get) posts on all sorts of foodie topics. I’ll need your support next month as I attempt to complete a Month Without Monsanto project while also committing to at least trying to follow the October Unprocessed rules. My latest post is a (pretty geeky) exploration of how organic doesn’t always mean organic, and it could mean Monsanto, but probably not because of what you’re thinking. I think.

2) My post earlier this month about The Wild Ramp in Huntington, WV has been making the rounds. I submitted it for a PASA DIY Challenge, and they featured it on their Local Food Month tumblr site. The Wild Ramp is currently undertaking a Kickstarter campaign, and guess what they noted at the bottom of their Kickstarter page? Yep, a link to my blog.

If you’re so inclined, I highly recommend that you consider supporting their campaign – this local market is run completely by volunteers, and is a needed resource for both consumers and farmers in Huntington. Plus, I’m totally in love with their bags and aprons.

3) Lastly, you can listen to my voice somewhat intelligently discuss local restaurants, urban redevelopment, and the perception of what disadvantaged people *should* eat in urban areas at the Wise Economy Workshop. I’ve worked with Della, a principal at the Wise Economy, in many different iterations over the years and she’s one of those people who *gets* sustainable economic development. I may have freaked her out by the Station Street Hot Dog Shop Devil Dog, but apparently in a good way.

Casey’s response.

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As promised over at the Digging Deep Campaign, here’s the entire text of the response I received from Senator Bob Casey‘s office when I wrote regarding maintaining food stamp assistance in the Farm Bill. If/when I get something from Senator Pat Toomey‘s office, I’ll be sure to post it here.

I welcome your thoughts – and will start digging into Casey’s positions on the mammoth bill. Since he’s representing me in the Senate, I probably should pay attention to what he’s doing on my behalf.

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Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding nutrition programs in the 2012 Farm Bill. I appreciate hearing from you.

Roughly every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill which governs federal farm and food policy. On April 26, 2012, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee met, modified and approved the 2012 Farm Bill. The bill is now pending on the Senate legislative calendar. I am hopeful that the full Senate will vote on the 2012 Farm Bill soon. If passed into law, the 2012 Farm Bill would reduce the deficit by approximately $23 billion dollars through the elimination of unnecessary subsidies and the consolidation of programs. I worked to improve the Farm Bill so it was more fair and equitable for Pennsylvania agriculture. The current version of the 2012 Farm Bill includes benefits for Pennsylvania’s specialty crop farmers, dairy farmers, and conservation programs; and it improves the Secretary’s ability to purchase foods for use in federal nutrition programs. Still, more work must be done on this legislation.

The Committee-passed version of the 2012 Farm Bill supports food assistance programs, including The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). I introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill to allow USDA to consider the needs of states and the demands placed on emergency feeding organizations, such as food banks, when purchasing commodities through the TEFAP program. This amendment is included in the current bill. The 2012 Farm Bill also includes provisions to improve access to healthy foods in food deserts and to fund SNAP education and training programs. I have heard from many people about the “heat and eat” provision of SNAP. The Farm Bill permits participating states to coordinate SNAP and the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) allowing the LIHEAP agency to provide cash benefits directly to SNAP households. The current version of the 2012 Farm Bill would require at least $10 per year in LIHEAP assistance in order to qualify for the Standard Utility Allowance in the SNAP eligibility determination process.

It is very important to me that the Senate develops nutrition assistance policy that will help Pennsylvanians. I will continue to work with my colleagues on nutrition policy in preparation for when the full Senate considers the 2012 Farm Bill.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.

For more information on this or other issues, I encourage you to visit my website, http://casey.senate.gov. I hope you will find this online office a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office, or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
P.S. If you would like to respond to this message, please use the contact form on my website: http://casey.senate.gov/contact/

have I already told you this?

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I apparently am remiss in telling you what else I’ve been writing (of course, I’m still recovering from Sousa-gate). I’m also way behind on gardening – what else is new? – so I’ll tide you over with tidbits from my weekly posts at The Digging Deep Campaign until I can get some more progress made outside.

And since a few people complained about my lack of good food porn in my last post, here’s a pork sandwich from Union Pig & Chicken‘s lunch menu. This post may be short and disjointed, but it will still make your mouth water!

ew. gross.

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I’m hanging out with pink slime over at the Digging Deep Campaign this week – and am thankful that I just bought 100 lbs of beef from my favorite local farmer (which was from a cow that I had met personally). 

I briefly note there that, although the uproar over pink slime is fantastic to see – it’s amazing  to me how much people don’t know about the industrial food supply, and when they do start to learn, they are disgusted enough to do something about it – you can’t just call it a day when the USDA caves a little and gives school districts the choice of not buying ground beef with pink slime (The Lunch Tray explains why). Because the main reason the USDA buys pink slime for school lunches is because it’s cheap. And if school districts (cash-strapped already, at least in this state) still have to operate under the same reimbursement standards for the school lunches, we’ll see something else cheap sneak its way into the school lunch program.

I don’t usually quote myself, but in this case, I think it’s important to reiterate what I said earlier in the week at Digging Deep:

Here’s why – reimbursement rates. How much money do schools get reimbursed per child for the food in school lunches? Not much. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) lists the current year maximum reimbursement rates as $2.79 for free lunches, $2.39 for reduced price lunches, and $0.28 for a lunch fully paid for by the child. Can you cook on an industrial scale for less than three bucks a meal? I sure can’t. And don’t forget the much-touted change in rules to the National School Lunch Program, thanks to Michelle Obama. Don’t get me wrong, doubling the amount of fruits and vegetables children are served in school is fantastic, and way overdue. But until the Farm Bill stops overwhelmingly subsidizing grains and starts leveling the playing field for fruit and veg, they’ll be more expensive. Which means the other food in each school lunch needs to be less expensive. Enter pink slime.

Yep, it all goes back to the Farm Bill. Which, as it happens, is up for reauthorization this year (because, thankfully, the Secret Farm Bill crap didn’t work last year). So work to make your voices heard – catch up on the particulars with the Environmental Working Group’s Farm Bill Policy Plate series, and consider the Community Food Security Coalition’s talking points when you contact your elected officials. Because you know the food-industrial complex is whispering in their ears. The least you can do – especially for the kids dependent on the school lunch program for their nutritional needs – is to do the same.

some catching up to do.

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OK, ladies and germs, where exactly did February go? I’m still trying to get through January. It doesn’t help that we’ve had almost no winter to speak of. Today my third grader walked home from the bus stop in shirt sleeves – two years ago this week, we had three feet of snow.

At any rate, time has gotten away from me and I haven’t mentioned two new posts of mine over at the Digging Deep Campaign. So if you have some sugar monsters living in your house, or if you need to know more about the types of urban ag floating around our fair city, check it out.

NOW – onto new business:

I have to admit, all the fantastic posters from the Library of Congress archives are a major reason why I’m doing this challenge.

Today in Victory Garden Challenge-land, I now understand why CSAs have startup costs. Also, why fruit is so freaking expensive. Let me elaborate.

I’ve drafted a sidekick to this challenge – a friend who doesn’t have a lot of growing space but is willing to put some sweat equity into my yard to help produce some, well, produce. So we met for coffee, we kvetched about men, we fondled some seed catalogs, and we made a list of all the veg we wanted to grow this year. Some of which I have tried before, some I have not. We made a long list. A daunting list. But, a list that is probably doable, especially if I draft my family as minions. Then I ordered a big chunk of seeds from that list. And then said to myself, “Oh, Lord, what have I done?”

I bought a lot of seeds.

I also have this crazy idea to grow apple trees into a fence (I am not the first person to have this absolutely mental idea). Dude. Good apple trees are expensive. So I must now figure out how to keep the deer far, far away from my babies.

Drumroll, please….

Yes, I have spent $200 on seeds and apple trees. So far.

I figure if things go crazy and we have more than we possibly could manage I could swing a seedling sale at our local coffee shop. Wish me luck!

your questions: answered.

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Have a food-related question you’re just dying to know the answer to, but can’t get to it/filter through all the white noise/understand what those crazy foodies are saying? Like, for instance, what’s up with the egg industry getting cozy with the Humane Society?

Don’t worry, the Digging Deep Campaign has it covered. Now with extra bloggers – Including yours truly.

No chickens were harmed in the making of this blog post.

You know me, I’m a sucker for research… and translating wonk-speak… and sifting through mundane details. So the Digging Deep Campaign is a great fit for me. I’ll have new posts up on Tuesdays and welcome your ideas for blog posts – ask me a question about the food world, and I’ll do my best to answer it!