Eat, Nourish, Cleanse - Official Day 1

I lay in bed this morning, contemplating the undertaking I was embarking on today and I felt both 'let's get going, I have an elixir to drink and a smoothie to make' and simultaneously 'it technically doesn't start until I get out of bed so I really should lie here for as long as possible!'

But eventually I did get up and get going - I had to, or my children would have missed the bus, and so it was with some trepidation I spooned out the honey, raw apple cider vinegar and lemon into my warm water and flipped the switch on my vitamix.  The menu for today:
 
Breakfast - Chocolate Kale Smoothie
Snack - Pear
Lunch - Collard Wrap with sunbutter, avo, veggies and a side of tuna
Snack - celery and cherry tomatoes with dip
Dinner - Spicy Carrot and Orange Soup with Curried (skinless, boneless, organic) chicken thighs

I think I will live ;-)  So far I feel okay, I didn't have any adverse reactions to the morning elixir that Susan warned us of, and apart from feeling peckish (which I think is more mental than physical) I haven't felt the need to go on the hunt for any chocolate or crackers!

 

How did you do with your morning elixir?  Frankly, with a little more honey I could drink this every day no problem!

Eat, Nourish, Cleanse - Pre-Detox Week

So here we are, pre-cleanse week.  Despite a bit of a lapse yesterday which resulted in increased coffee consumption, I am doing pretty good.  I did my 'Circle of Life', I answered the 'Power Questions' and did my 'Pre-Detox Questionnaire' - goodness, so much homework!  I did not bother with my vision board, I didn't think I needed to, I have a pretty good grip on where I am and where I want to be and didn't feel like I was going to achieve any 'eureka' moments, or experience any heightened enlightenment so I ditched it.

I don't pick New Years resolutions, I choose a word that will be my mantra for the year.  My word for this year is 'Intent'.  Which equates to mindfulness I think.  It is about doing something with purpose, on purpose, and having a level of awareness.  Its about thinking about the desired outcome, and deciding consciously where to direct my time and energy, but mostly it is about being present in the moment. 

So for me anyway, this week of pre-cleanse is not just about drinking less coffee, or cutting back on certain foods.  It is about stating my intent, thinking about what I am doing and why, and then preparing mentally to see it through.  This is the first cleanse program or diet I have done where this 'week of mindfulness' is part of the program, and I think I like it.  It's kinda fun taking the time to get ready.  What about you?  Are you finding it helpful?  Or are you impatient to get started?

Having fun outside with the 'intent' of getting some exercise.

Eat, Nourish, Cleanse . . . Introduction

Next week is the official start to our 'Eat, Nourish, Cleanse' program, and I am excited!  We received all our materials, recipes, instructions on Tuesday and had an introductory conference call with our Health Coach, Susan Grassie, on Wednesday.

Everybody has personal reasons for undertaking a program like this, for me, it is to kick-start my metabolism and my year and ready my body for the marathon I am going to ask of it this year.  We have a lot planned, and a lot of it has to do with South Shore Organics, this year we will be implementing things that have been in the wings since we started, and they are a culmination of a lot of hard work.  I want more than anything to be successful, I want to deliver 2014 for our customers, for our farmers, for my hardworking team - but I know I am going to need a lot of energy, mental astuteness and endurance to accomplish my goals. So, this blah puffy post-holiday feeling that has taken up residence and now overstayed its welcome has gotta go!

While I am looking forward to the benefits, I am not looking forward the the effort that eating all this fresh, clean food is going to take.  Just reading the material I am overwhelmed.  Life is so busy, I am worried about having the time - but if it were easy, we'd all do it, everyday, twice a day, right?  So I have decided I need a theme song!  I know, I know, how Rocky-esque of me :-)  but if it worked for him . . . so, I downloaded this song on my iPod:

Join me, it's only a few weeks, I can do it and so can you, we will not fail and we will set the tone for 2014 and all the adventures it promises to be!  Our next conference call is Sunday night to prepare for the week, bring it on!

For more information about the cleanse contact: maryann@southshoreorganics.com

Label GMO's! These Colors Don't Run.

I was very excited when I heard the news, we are neighbors to the first state in the U.S. to pass a GMO labeling bill!  We all thought it would be California for sure with Proposal 37, since often times it seems that they are so much more progressive than we are with their beautiful farmers markets and tons of organic food.  But no.  It was little Vermont tucked away in the New England corner.  You go Vermont!

And then, wouldn't you know it?  Within weeks, Connecticut followed suit!  Then Maine!  What can I say?  New England rocks!  Are you watching California?  Because we're gonna show you how to get it done.  Massachussets has five labeling bills coming up at public hearings in the next few weeks that touch on the GMO labeling issue and I have a feeling we will be joining our neighbors soon. 

Unfortunately, all this elation, all this hope, quickly turned to despair when I learned yesterday that the senate voted 71-27 against the Sanders amendment to the farm bill that would even allow states to require labeling of GMO's in our food system.  Apparently it was quite a discussion, but there were concerns that labeling would push the food prices up, and also, the Senate felt it needed to protect the states from potential lawsuits from Biotech companies (Monsanto's name was dropped at that meeting).

Are you serious?  Please explain further.  The request is perfectly reasonable, we are not taxing GMO products, we are not asking for special handling, we are not asking to ban them.  We merely ask that where GMO corn is used as an ingredient, the letters 'GMO' are inserted on the label.  Why would these three little letters drastically increase food prices?  Please don't even get me started on the notion that Senate is 'protecting' us from 'costly' lawsuits.  If the people of Massachusetts want to know what is in their food, Monsanto, a corporate entity profiting from the sale of goods should oblige.  End. Of. Story.  You cannot legally withhold requested information to protect your market.  That's wrong.  Or am I just being naive?

When I was a little girl, my dad flew from South Africa to the United States as Team Captain for a hobby sport team.  He was gone for ages and we missed him.  He came back laden with gifts for us girls and stories about how BIG everything is, and what nice, generous people he met.  One of the gifts he gave me was a belt buckle with the American flag enameled on the front with the words 'these colors don't run'.  I asked my dad what that meant, and he said that it meant Americans stood up for what was right and just, it didn't matter if 'the other guy' was bigger or scarier.  They would not back down, they would be brave and even if they were afraid, they would not run away.

I was so awestruck.  I held that belt buckle with such reverence, I never even took it out of the box.  Growing up in apartheid South Africa surrounded by injustices, the idea that there is a whole country where people are committed to doing the right thing, even if it is hard and the odds are not in their favor - well, that sounded like a pretty special place to me. Little did I know I would one day live here. 

Labeling GMO's so that we know what is going in our food and what we are putting in our bodies and feeding our families, I believe is our right.  We have the right to know.  To decide.  To choose.  It is a basic freedom.  Corporates should not hide behind legislation to protect their markets – that’s not free.  So could the Senate please get out of our way.  We are not asking.  We are telling you, this is what we want.  And if Monsanto & Co wants to sue us - let them.  The request is reasonable, it is fair, it is just.  These colors don't run.  We won't back down.

Photos courtesy of Hart Design taken at March against Monsanto on May 25th.  Over 400 cities participated in an event that took only three months to organize, using only Social Media.  People want to be heard.

GMO's & Prop 37: We The People . . .

This is personal.  I am an immigrant, I moved to the United States of America for the American dream.  For a better life for my family, for the opportunity to have a say about what matters to me.  It has not been easy, we have given up a home that we love, South Africa, a beautiful country with wonderful people we care deeply about, but we wanted a better life for our family and more opportunities for our children.  We waited nine years to be passed through the legal process and arrived just before the economic melt down in 2008.  We have worked very hard alongside some wonderful new friends to start a small business and make a positive impact within our community.

Our journey has been filled with highs and lows and some very memorable moments.  I had a lot of time to think on the flight over here about what we were moving towards: liberty for all, the pursuit of happiness, strength, family, freedom.  One of my earliest memories is of our first American football game at Gillette stadium.  Patriots vs. Dolphins.  I don't remember the score, I don't remember the plays, the weather or what I was wearing, I do remember that when they they started the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of the game, everybody stood, removed their hats, put their right hands over their hearts, and pride washed over that stadium in a wave.  I have never experienced anything like it, I cried.

We know we are not perfect, we know we have work to do and we don't always agree on how to get it done, but as a nation, America has an identity, we know what our values are and we are proud of them.  America is made up of 300 million people who celebrate freedom, and who care.

Out in California, Proposal 37 to be voted on in November on the labelling of food containing GMO's is a defining moment for the food movement, one that could impact the rest of the country.  Yes, it is about GMO crops that are being grown and included in our food without our knowledge, and yes, it is about the as yet unqualified risks that GMO's could present.  But more importantly, it is about our right to know, and our right to choose.  To choose!  To be free to make a choice.  

Michael Pollan wrote an article on the subject recently, read it here, on why we should all care.  It is thoughtful, as always - I feel so strongly about this issue, for me it is not just about a label, it is not just about food.  Maybe it is because of where I grew up, and where I am today, but I know oppression when I see it.  The corporate giants that are on board with Monsanto to oppose Prop 37 don't have the right to take away the freedom we have to make choices for ourselves and our families.  They don't have the right to keep information from us that could affect our purchasing decisions.  What happened to the free market?  Their argument is that we are irrational, and that we will act on emotion, and can't make informed decisions, they are worried about what the impact our ability to choose will have on their businesses, to me that is an irrational argument.  Who ever heard of building brand loyalty and trust through dishonesty?  Besides, I don't see irrational behavior and companies folding in countries where GMO foods are labelled.  In his article, Michael Pollan also refers to the fact that corporate giants don't trust us.  The definition of trust is 'confidence in, or the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth'.  Truth.  Seems to me truth is pretty essential to a relationship of trust.

Prop 37 needs to happen, and it needs to reach other states too.  It is not just about the food we are putting in our bodies, and please believe me when I say I feel passionate about that too, but it is ALSO about not allowing those with money and power to tell us what is best for us.  Let us decide, let our consumer choices and voices drive your product decisions - Monsanto & Co, you are right, you cannot trust us to do what you want us to do, but you can trust us to tell you what it is we want - and isn't that how it should be?  Isn't that what America is all about . . . we the people?

The Organic Garden

I, like many of our customers, try to grow at least a few things in my own garden.  This year our efforts are watered down by other priorities, most noteworthy being our delivery service.  Combine our waterered down efforts with those scalliwag chipmunks who seem to take great joy in picking my not yet ripe tomatoes, taking a few bites to get to the seeds I think and then leaving the remains where they KNOW I will find them and you have what Frank from Golden Rule Farm calls an exquisite failure!  I used to think chipmunks were adorable, now I think they are scheming - they watch us with those beady little eyes, find our weaknesses and then strike. 

There are other bugs I never paid attention to before that I now love less since trying to grow things to eat: aphids, scales, mealy bugs, leaf hoppers, caterpillars and beetles.  I know they are necessary for ecological balance but could they please go provide balance elsewhere!  I don't want any, not in my garden.  And I know you can plant marigolds near your tomatoes for bugs but that doesn't stop the chipmunks - so how do you grow an organic garden and keep it going for 60, 90 or 120 days so that you reap a bumper harvest for your efforts?

You employ tactical warfare, you out-think, out-manouver and out-last, that's how!  And you employ the appetities of helpers.  Did you know that lady bugs, which you can by by the gallon (or 75'000) will eat as many as 5,000 aphids in their lifetime?  They are little bug carnivores and also eat many of the other nuisance insects that plague our patches.  Another little bug carnivore you can try is praying mantids, one egg sac contains 40'000 eggs and they will eat anything they can catch including mosquitos, wasps and beetles (and ladybugs so don't buy them together).  You can buy both insects online.

Another wonderful resource for organic gardeners who are looking at pest control is the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website, they will help you choose the right pest control method, and if you reach the point of no return where it is too late for ladybugs, you can visit their Pest Management Database for all kinds of information, what sprays you can use, which are registered with OMRI (Organic Material Research Institute) and what the active ingredients are in each of the sprays - it is very useful, AND they include vertebrate pests like deer, squirrels, moles and field mice - (just not chipmunks)!  Since they advise garlic extract for squirrels and mice, maybe, just maybe it will work for the scheming little rascals I have living in my back yard!

Dear Dairy, Today I was called to the kitchen table . . .

Last week I as driving from farm to farm picking up produce when I happened to pass Lolans Farm in Middleborough. It was the chickens that caught my eye, and of course, Sue bent over in a field planting so I stopped. She was so gracious, and was happy to stop what she was doing to talk to me about all things farming and hear all about who we are, who are customers are, and what our goals are. Lolans is actually a dairy farm, and Sue is a warm, hospitable person - the result was that we have another source for eggs - yeah!

This week I stopped by again (for the eggs of course) and was invited inside, sat at the kitchen table with her husband Sam so that we could talk about Dairy farming in South Eastern Massachusetts over some iced tea. Sam and Sue had read my Dear Dairy blog from a couple of weeks ago and wanted to set the record straight - so I got an education and I say this very tongue in cheek of course because you couldn't meet nicer people, who are passionate about what they do and every time I meet people who are passionate about what they do, I am inspired. Every time. So on a hot Tuesday afternoon, over some delicious, cold iced tea, here is what I learned:

• There is some good in Walmart - some of the dairy farmers in New England belong to Cabot, a cooperative that distributes profits back to the farmers. I knew this of course, but what I didn't know is that Walmart approached them with a ten year growth plan and asked if they were interested in becoming a supplier and the members of Cabot were and do you know why? Because the milk keeps coming that's why. Cows need to be milked, and the milk needs to be moved it is as simple as that and to have a steady, consistent outlet for milk is crucial to the success of a dairy farm. Not only that, but now they can manage their businesses for growth with the foreseeable future secure. I am not a fan of Walmart - that is my personal position, but we don't live in a black and white world, we live in one with many shades of gray and so if they are guaranteeing the livelihoods of local dairy farmers, and the farmers are happy, then I am happy too.
• Consumers Decide - actually, I know that what consumer dollars have a voice, but I always ask farmers what their policies are on pesticides, environmental issues etc. and since I had the ear of a dairy farmer, I asked about the use of BST or Bovine Growth Hormone and was told that none of the farmers in New England use it anymore because there IS NO MARKET for milk produced from cows injected with BST. Which leads to my next point . . .
• Farming for Herd Health - dairy farming IS a volume driven business model, make no mistake, but now instead of pushing cows to produce as much as possible, Sam said it is more worthwhile putting together a herd of good, reliable milk producers and then taking good care of them by giving them the best feed you possibly can, and keeping the cows happy. Stressed cows are sick cows, they get ulcers, and have problems with their reproductive cycles and calving and all sorts of other issues. 'Feed 'em well and you will trim their feet less, and have fewer vet bills and a higher number of offspring which is another source of income', Sam says.
• Quality over Quantity - Milk collected from farmers is tested - bacterial counts are checked and so is the fat and protein content of the milk. Farmers are paid for their milk depending on the results of those tests, good milk fetches a higher price. Now no one is advocating that in the current system you can keep your cows on the best quality forage year round and justify it with the price your milk will fetch - we are not there yet, but it is good to know that we are moving in the right direction, that good quality fresh milk is worth more per gallon means we are moving in the right direction.
• Dairies Direct - local dairy farms who produce milk with a low bacterial count should be allowed to sell their raw milk or other dairy products to neighbors and independently owned farm stands and stores. Currently, legislation is so sticky that it is made difficult or impossible and so very few of them can logistically do it, but another source of retail income for these farmers would also help secure their future, and provide yet another incentive to keep happy cows producing healthy milk.

I often write on my blogs about the challenges with our food system and how much needs to be done. Well, dairy farming is not immune from these challenges and the system is far from perfect. It is a very hard way to make a living and I don't know that many sane people would sit up in this day and age and say 'Hey! I know, I am going to invest hundreds of thousands if not millions in some land, cows, tanks and all the rest so that I can make a living milking cows!'. But for those that do, I salute you and you have my gratitude.