Organic Test Kitchen » Organic Lifestyle

Is Your Food Supply Guaranteed Safe?

theo — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:13:38 +0000

Seems that people in Germany have turned to organic in a big way after the dioxin scare. It’s easy to get complacent and just ignore the organic food movement. We’ve all heard it “a bunch of wing nuts… wasting money..” . Well, maybe most of the conventional food is perfectly safe .. we believe.. Actually most conventional foods, even the so called purest, often contain chemical residues from agriculture and processing. But one thing’s for sure and that an Organic Certification is a nice extra layer of assurance of purity. And that’s a pretty good thing.

Picture Set Of Gabe

theo — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 22:46:25 +0000

I mentioned Gabe yesterday, he’s the rescue dog that does the rescuing. Anyway, thought some of the readers might enjoy checking out the rest of the photos taken of him by the wood stove. If you do just click on the photo above to get to the flickr photostream (scroll right on flickr if you want to see all seven pictures).

Thanks & have a Happy & Healthy New Year.

Last Minute Organic Christmas Gifts

theo — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:16:59 +0000

We’re doing a three for the day blog posts. One for Organic Test Kitchen and then one each for Theodore Richard’s Food Blog & En Coffee’s Coffee Blog. I got to tell you I’m feeling burnt out about now. … But anyway, there’s still time to get some great gifts for your whole food eating friends. Here’s some ideas, nothing earth shattering, and you’ve probably already had these in mind.

Buy them some new and or exotic spices that you think they’ll use. For example, maybe you could go with a new type of peppercorns, perhaps a vanilla bean or maybe some whole nutmeg?

And then there’s the foods that they may use every day but unfortunately don’t buy organic. For some foods, as you know, this makes a Big Difference!

And of course you can go prepackaged, professionally made foods. I have got to tell you, this Almond Anise Biscotti from the Berkshire Co-Op in Great Barrington, MA was incredible.

Hope you, your family and friends have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Like this post? Please share with a friend.

Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans

theo — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:44:18 +0000

If you’re not using fresh roasted organic coffee beans then your coffee is unnecessarily sub-par. .. How do I know this? Simple chemistry and the nature of the beans. Here’s the skinny:

Roasted Coffee Looses Most Of It’s Aromatics About 1 Week After Roasting: One of the largest contributing factors to the complexity and fullness of freshly roasted coffee comes about due to the presence of volatile aromatic compounds. After about one week these will deteriorate to an unacceptable level. This is one of the reasons instant is so bad, it virtually has no aromatic compounds left.
Sealed, Vacuumed-Pack, Nitrogen Protected Etc Will Not Solve The Problem: Big Coffee will roast beans and have an expiration date 6-7 mounts out. Your coffee will still get stale no matter how it’s packaged, all they can do is somewhat slow it down. … Don’t believe the hype.
Buy From A Roaster Who Ships The Same Day They Roast: One of the reasons I like Cafe Valverde is that they do just that. Is the 1-2 days shipping an issue? No. The reason being that right after roasting the beans need 1-2 days to degas the residual carbon dioxide still left in the beans. So when they get to you they’ll be ready for brewing. I’m lucky Joan & Nelson from Cafe Valverde roast right up the street. When I had a “coffee emergency” (about to run out soon) they took my order and roasted on the same day. Good people, good coffee.
Consider Roasting Your Own: Just like there was a revolution in home baked bread about 10 years ago now there is a similar thing occurring in the coffee world. People are purchasing the green coffee beans and roasting at home. My friends at Cafe Verde tell me this is growing rapidly and they are shipping the beans all around the world (including to the base in Antarctica). By the way, the green coffee bean side of their business is called Invalsa.

This is such an important topic that we have launched a new blog called EnCoffee that deals strictly with coffee & espresso, it’s enjoyment and creation. Join us if you want to take a journey and learn more of this wonderful, friendly and satisfying world. It’s similar to the culture of wine but for me even better since I can enjoy coffee at any time of the day and actually have the option to craft the product by roasting my own beans. Please share post this with a friend. Cheers!

Farmer’s Market & Locally Grown Produce

theo — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:37:42 +0000

Photo by Jim Davis, article by DC Denison of the Boston Globe

If you have been buying locally grown produce your decision has done more than improve the quality of food on your table. One of the “ripple effects” has been a dramatic increase in the number of farms even in the small state of Massachusetts. This is a growing movement away from the mega-mart and towards the local farmer. Fueled by people waking up to where the real quality and often organic produce can be found. … and that is, right around the corner. This trend has been covered in an excellent article by DC Denison of the Boston Globe. It provides an excellent example of one of the long term consequences of a collective “I’ve had it and am not going to take it anymore” type of mindset. And that one consequence is the rise of local farming.

Anyway the key statistic is that although the size of the individual farm had decreased from 85 to about 67 acres, the number of farms in Massachusetts had increased by 27% in the five year period from 2002 to 2007 for a total of 7,691 (and for our small state I’m very impressed by this number). And this trend is expected to continue through 2012 when the next census is due to be completed.

In addition to the farms being in state, the other significant change is in how this fresh local produce is being sold. There are of course the farmer’s markets which eliminate the mega-middle man and all his accouterments such as a large air conditioned building (which is no problem to me … I’m a big fan of fresh air, natural lighting and the social atmosphere of the farmer’s market). But there’s also a trend for consumers to purchase a share of the crop. For instance Dave Purpula’s Farm in Middleboro, MA (lovingly named Plato’s Harvest) sells subscriptions for $675 each. Each subscriber gets herself a weekly box of fresh produce from the farm. Admittingly, I would guess that it probably cost more than the mega-mart but instead of coming all the way from Mexico or wherever it comes from right up the street. … ocean freight and fumigants not required.. As the Organic Test Kitchen Community is well aware. It’s all about quality, purity and environmental responsibility. I just shake my head when people question this… this is food, the stuff we put into our and our children’s bodies….and it’s worth every penny.

This is just another example of the many ways that going organic or at least local reaches out in many directions creating a greater good.

Organic Cabbage vs. Non-Organic Cabbage: The Good, The Bland & The Ugly

theo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:27:52 +0000

So it’s come to this, I’ll admit it. I’m a big fan of cabbage. Brought up in a French Canadian Household and on Sunday we’d have Boiled Dinner with a big salty ham sharing the pot with a variety of veggies including cabbage. And that there cabbage would just soak up all that ham fat and be soo darn good. … Nowadays, however, I’m trying to atone and nurture my circulatory system back to an ”as-new” condition so I’ve traded the ham for skinless chicken breasts and ham fat for olive oil. But you know what? That love for cabbage will never leave (and I didn’t even tell you about my father’s “cigars” (stuffed cabbage leaves). .. Now if they ever tell me I only have six months to live watch out…

Anyway, we bought a non-organic cabbage and compare it against it’s healthy organic cousin ( and no, I refuse to say head to head).

Well, the first thing we noticed is that the Organic variety looks more real, alive and fresh. The non-organic cabbage on the right looks like it’s had a hard life. Lots of chemicals and not enough clean living. Actually it looks like a tired old man and that’s a sad thing to see. But am I sure I want to eat that thing?

Yeah I’m sure that I don’t. … This guy has nothing to offer me but trouble. Nothing I can prove mind you, but he just makes me uncomfortable. Anyway, here’s some background on the life of some non-organic cabbages. First, growing up on these massive farms they are targeted by a variety of nasties including (the cabbage looper, diamondback moth, imported cabbageworm etc…). And these pests are smart. For instance “Most of the eggs of the foliage feeding caterpillars are laid on the under-surfaces of the leaves and the larvae, until mature tend to feed on the underside of the foliage..”. So to combat this “Insecticides should be sprayed in high volume solutions …” “… at high pressure…” and “… spreading and sticking agents should also be used to improve coverage.” (the complete page from the University of Kentucky is here). … And then after this war is fought the cabbage is sent to our local supermarkets.

Now, in contrast the Organic cabbage is one lucky beast. No artificial fertilizers and no insecticides. Living cleanly off the natural land. The living was good and it shows. Just look at this guy. Isn’t that one good looking head of organic cabbage? And these good looks go beyond being just skin deep. No chemicals on it, no chemicals in me and I like that. And this is especially important for cabbage which is probably the most commonly eaten raw veggie due to the invention of coleslaw (and actually for most people the ONLY raw veggie that will ever touch their lips). And, you know as well as I do, that the average cook is not going to do a great job of washing leaves prior to shredding (and they might not even wash it at all). … SO… I’d just say no to coleslaw unless it’s organic (you know, maybe this should be your “go to” volunteer dish).

Now you should go organic because you and your family deserve it. Also, please learn to respect this blahsay vegetable on St Patty’s Day and throughout the rest of the year as well. After all, Broccoli, Kale and Cauliflower are just a few veggies that are nothing more than selective breeding of cabbage. Yes my friends, you may already love cabbage but it’s just a funky variety of it with a different name.

Now if you like this post and think of some else would too (or they make the cold slaw) please share it with them & help spread the word. Hopefully 2010 readership will continue to grow and provide some level of support to free up time to work on www.OrganicTestKitchen.com and another cooking site. And also, thanks so much for all your support throughout these years. Have a great day!

Martha Stewart’s Recommendations Regarding Organic Foods

theo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:31:36 +0000

There is a good article on Boston.com from Martha Stewart, “Eating safely is as important as eating healthy.” Regarding meats, she states the good practice of cooking to a temperature over 160 F (to mitigate the chance of salmonella issues) But in addition, for meat without the antibiotics and growth hormones the guaranteed way to do it is to choose products with the USDA Organic Label. And beyond this to choose grass-fed organic meats as the primo selection.

On produce she states that ” Although the science isn’t exact, it’s believed that fetuses and young children are most vulnerable to toxins in food. That said, it’s still unclear just how residual pesticides might affect adults, so wash conventional and organic produce with care.” To her, pesticide resides is an issue to be taken seriously. .. That said, it seems that more of the mainstream media is coming over to the wisdom of making Organic Choices. You can read the full article which was adapted from Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine here.

Gift Idea: Organic Seeds

theo — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:57:01 +0000

If you are looking for a nice gift you may want to consider Certified Organic Vegetable, Herb or Flower Seeds. These are from a totally organic sources and are guaranteed not to be involved in any genetically modified “this or that” whatsoever. Check out the web for the many reputable suppliers.

Green Christmas Ideas Revisited

theo — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:43:22 +0000

In 2007 we posted a list of ideas to make your Christmas Greener. This excellent post , if we do say, can be found here. Well looking back how are things this year as a result?
Well, we skipped the wrapping paper and instead used reusable holiday boxes. This has worked out great and we continue to use them. Also, as an added benefit, we write little notes and drawings on them so that over the years the boxes themselves become sort of an heirloom with memories of previous holidays.
Homemade Christmas ornaments. Well, we have them and every year we make more. Some of the first ones were kind of lame but they are getting better. This year we’ll use shells and driftwood we find on the beach as this highlights the coastal community I live in this year (actually, to be honest the tree can begin to look like a big junk pile unless you know how to make these things right. If you are art incapable ask for help… please).
Did not get a real tree but rather bought a fake one years ago. Still use this since I feel that “I’m already in”. The feeling is that if this is a one time shot and if I can use the fake tree for years it will make up for all the crap used to manufacture it. My bad though, I should have always bought natural trees.
Buy gifts that are not “stuff”….useless crap that no one really wants anyway. This has been huge. Last year went on an awesome trip with those I love rather than stuff. This year planning the same deal. Also, found that excellent baked goods (such as cookies, cheesecake or a Rene de Saba) kick butt over junk that will end up in a closet.
Helping others. This is very good and looking to do more. This is as much for me as it is for those helped.

Anyway, happy holidays and make this time of year yours again. Be brave and refuse to be a pawn of the stores who love to see mindless consumption and people “shopping till they drop”.

One of the reasons I drink Poland Springs … Pharmaceuticals in Municipal Drinking Water Sources

theo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:55:29 +0000

It has been recently determined that the Merrimack River is contaminated with minute quantities of at least 16 pharmaceuticals. Since several communities take their drinking water supply from the Merrimack this is obviously a concern.

Are these quantities enough to effect you? Who knows? Especially when considering a lifetime of exposure. Anyway here’s some of what they found … narcotics, antihistamines, antibiotics and believe it or not, cocaine. So you know what? I can purchase a gallon of Poland Springs for about a buck. No chlorine, no this and no that. My coffee tastes better, water after a run definitely taste better and no worries. For me it’s worth it. Are other spring waters just as good? I’m sure some are. But you have to be careful there are a lot out there with the fancy-schmantzy names that are just municipal water that’s been filtered and bottled. Now I have no commercial interest in Poland Springs but like it because I know that it comes out of the ground in rural Maine. Is it perfect? Probably not. Is it a positive step towards chemical free cooking and drinking? I would say yes.

The article on the Merrimack River is here if interested.