Panhandle Vegan

Watch out for Potato Chips

2011-06-23T11:16:00.001-04:00

LOS ANGELES - Blame the potato chip. It's the biggest demon behind that pound-a-year weight creep that plagues many of us, a major diet study found. Bigger than soda, candy and ice cream.

And the reason is partly that old advertising cliche: You can't eat just one.
"They're very tasty and they have a very good texture. People generally don't take one or two chips. They have a whole bag," said obesity expert Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer of the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/23/health/main20073582.shtml#ixzz1Q72PiH6R

The Battle of the Fruit Flies...

2011-05-25T13:51:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year... getting warmer outside but still not so hot that we have to close up the house and turn the Air Conditioning on. That's something we avoid until the last minute.

The problem, however, is that, in this weather, the fruit flies start to swarm around the vegetable and fruit scraps waiting to go out into the garden and make our cooking area very unpleasant.

This morning we started our campaign which was 100% successful last year over a couple of days. We built fruit fly traps which draw the little devils in by the gross and get them out of our way.

We start with a small Ball jar. Into that we put about 1/2 cup of cider vinegar, a little water and a few drops of dish soap. Some people add a piece of banana to the mix - something fruit flies love - but I haven't found it necessary.

On top of the jar we stretch tightly a piece of plastic wrap, or a small sandwich bag, and seal it around the neck with a rubber band. Then we take a toothpick and poke about 7 or 8 holes in the top.

That's it.

Put the Jar (or 2 or 3 of them) in the infestation area and pretty soon the problem will be gone... and you can count the number of bugs either floating on top (new captures) or lying dead on the bottom. I'm up to around 60 with one jar which I set up about 3 hours ago.

A jar with the vinegar/soap mix lasts a couple of weeks and then can be refreshed with a new mix. Keep the traps going until the problem disappears or the start of heavy air conditioning season (you may have to overlap the two.)

A Lime Pie Experiment...

2011-05-15T14:47:00.000-04:00

I've been trying variations on a Vegan Key Lime-ish Pie for about a week now, working on ways to get a good, low calorie, egg and sugar free pie. I'm now at the point where I have one that I like, my wife likes and that friends we have served it to like.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: 1 lime, 1/3 cup lime juice, 1 pkg. Healthy Top, 1/3 cup Egg Replacer, 1/3 cup powdered stevia (I used Truvia), pinch of sea salt, 1/2 cup cocoanut or almond milk, 1 1/2 cups hot water, vanilla, graham cracker pie crust (make your own or get one already made - after checking ingredients.)

You will need:

A double boiler (or two pans set up to duplicate one), Electric Mixer, cold bowl for whipping Healthy Top (I took the bowl from our Kitchen Aid Mixer and put it in the freezer for a couple of hours), a rubber spatula, measuring cup.

OK. First put the stevia, the Egg Replacer and a pinch of salt into the dry top pan of the double boiler and thoroughly mix them up with the rubber spatula.

Grate about 2 tablespoons of zests off the lime. Add the zests to the dry ingredients mix and thoroughly mix them in,

Now turn on the double boiler and add 1 1/2 cups hot water and 1/3 cup lime juice to the mix and stir it up with the rubber spatula. As the water in the base of the double boiler gets hotter, keep stirring the ingredients mix in the top pan. As the filling mix starts to get hot, add 1/4 cup of the Healthy Top and stir it in until it is completely blended.

Keep stirring until the mix gets thick enough that it creates mounds when you pick up some with the spatula (about ten minutes.)

After you take the top pan off the heat, stir it for about five minutes as it cools off. You will notice that it gets even thicker.

When the filling has cooled off a little and is nice and thick, pour it into the pie crust and spread it evenly. Make sure you use the rubber spatula to scrape all the filling from inside the pan... you don't want to leave any behind. The mix will fill about half the shell. Don't worry... there's more coming.

Put the filled shell in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let it get really cold.

About 20 minutes before you take the shell out of the refrigerator, you are going to make the topping.

In the frozen mixing bowl, add the remaining contents of the Healthy Top package. to this add a teaspoon of vanilla, the 1/2 cup of cocoanut or almond milk, a teaspoon of stevia and a tablespoon of lime juice. Whip it with the mixer until it fluffs up like high class whipping cream.

Spread the whipped topping on top of the pie and build thick mountains and swirls of the whip. When you are done, put it in the freezer until you are ready to serve (an hour is all you really need).

The nice thing about Heavy Top is that it expands in quantity as you whip it. You are likely to have about 2 or 3 cups left over. Here's a tip: put about two cups of fresh or thawed frozen fruit in a blender and blend until it is free of any lumps. Pour this into the mixing bowl with the remaining whipped topping, add three tablespoons of Egg Replacer, and mix them all together at a medium speed. Then put the mix into a covered pyrex or plastic container and freeze. n three hours you will have a delicious ice cream substitute.

Have fun.
-Bill

HOW TO DO A GMO FOOD DUMP...

2011-05-06T11:58:00.001-04:00

If you're protesting the presence of non-organic foods at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or other "organic" food stores, look at this:

Thanks to Millions Against Monsanto.

Join the Millions against Monsanto...

2011-05-02T15:58:00.000-04:00

... sign the Truth in labeling Petition.

Sign HERE.

Thanks, Bill.

What do you know about Food Disparagement Laws?

2011-04-27T11:45:00.000-04:00

Until last night, I knew nothing about them… but as I attended the F.A.R.M. program (Food Art Revolution Media) last night it was one of the topics that Melinda and Dan Hemmelgarn discussed last night.
These laws currently exist in 13 states and do things like banning photographers from taking pictures of food processing plants, or writing articles protesting farms that spray their crops with Monsanto poisons, or just discussing in the public press (and no doubt in blogs like this one) the disadvantages of non-organic farming.
The food disparagement movement has major corporate support (Monsanto, Dow, Buckeye Eggs and others) and haul people into court with their heavy economic advantage if the smallest criticism is raised. This has been going on since the 1990′s (a lot of it came out because of films like “Food, Inc.” or the works of Michael Moore.)
Senator Patrick Leahy (D – Vermont) made this statement in the late ’90s concerning this situation:

Some states permit lawsuits against those who question the safety of our food supply. It is my view that under the First Amendment, Americans possess the right

Sen Patrick Leahy (D - Vermont)
to raise safety and health concerns about the foods we eat, such as the levels of mercury in our fish or the levels of pesticides in imported foods. State laws that permit lawsuits against those who question the safety of foods can have a chilling effect on public health discourse. That is not the American way –healthy debate on issues of public concern is how this country does business.
The FoodSpeak Coalition highlights the chilling effect that these laws have on the exercise of free speech. Defamation laws should not intimidate citizens and the press who want to speak out about food safety.
Americans in all states must be allowed to openly debate issues of public health.

Here, here!
I spoke with a woman at the meeting last night whose 5-year work on a book concerning the dangers of chemical spraying on US Agriculture has been filed away indefinitely because she is afraid of lawsuit under food disparagement laws… and West Virginia doesn’t even have such laws. States like Iowa and Florida are affecting the entire country.

FDA moves to Govern Global Food Laws (yourdaddy.net)
Food Fight: Farmers Unite Against Monsanto (bigthink.com)
Organic farmers file suit to protect themselves from Monsanto’s aggressive practices. (isiria.wordpress.com)
Organic Farmers Unite Against Monsanto In Battle For Future of Food (singularityhub.com)
GMO Foods and The Consumer (socyberty.com)
Recipe for Food Safety (time.com)
Monsanto Will Soon Be Allowed To Police Itself (fastcompany.com)
Speak out on Monsanto… Tell the President… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
Alfalfa a key battleground in organic farming war (theglobeandmail.com)
How to identify Genetically Modified foods at Whole Foods… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)

Food Art Revolution Media (F.A.R.M.)

2011-04-26T22:43:00.001-04:00

Went to a very interesting lecture and panel discussion on the need to expand locally grown organic food and the battle against companies like Monsanto and Dow that are poisoning our food supply.

The speakers, Dan and Melinda Hemmelgarn, were out of Columbia, Missouri, and they combined the skills of
photography and dietetics with a heavy dose of activism. They were co-presented by AHA and the Source. Although the audience was fairly small, the excitement of the discussion after the 7:00 PM presentation lasted until

close to 10 PM.
Even after the panel there was still continued discussion over a variety of delicious goodies.

Organic Farmers Unite Against Monsanto In Battle For Future of Food (singularityhub.com)
FDA requests comments on labeling junk food, but bans labeling non-rGBH? (themomu.wordpress.com)
Organic farmers file suit to protect themselves from Monsanto's aggressive practices. (isiria.wordpress.com)
Monsanto says: The World Needs Us to Feed the Poor (themomu.wordpress.com)
Monsanto Disappoints, Ag Shares Trade Lower (blogs.wsj.com)
The Costs and Benefits of a Green Revolution (creditloan.com)
Monsanto's GMO Wheat ? (2012patriot.wordpress.com)
Stay Alive, Don't Mess with the Food Supply! (queensrepublic.wordpress.com)

On Eating Animals

2011-04-24T20:38:00.002-04:00

This piece from RSA interviewing author Jonathan Safran Foer

How to identify Genetically Modified foods at Whole Foods...

2011-04-21T13:30:00.004-04:00

Whole Foods Market admits it sells genetically modified foods:

"The reality is that no grocery store in the United States, no matter what size or type of business, can claim they are GE-free. ... we are not going to mislead our customers with an inaccurate claim..."

Whole Foods Market
Internal Company Memo 1/30/2011

Activists with the Organic Consumers Association's Millions Against Monsanto campaign went to Whole Foods Market in San Francisco to try to identify which foods are genetically engineered, but couldn't get any help from store employees.

Check Out This Video courtesy of the Organic Consumer Association:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvU2yH4IpBo

For more information, go to: http://www.millionsagainstmonsanto.org

(also posted at Under The LobsterScope)

I tried a Lemon Refrigerator Pie today...

2011-04-20T18:52:00.001-04:00

... which I was going to post a recipe for. However, it has not gone along the way I expected and I'm about 5 hours away until it has set enough. It may taste and cut just fine, but I expected something prettier.

Oh well, you win some you lose some. If it taste OK I'll let everyone know how I made it.

#####

I've been doing lots of experimenting with my Ice Cream recipe which I posted the other day. So far I've made Rich Chocolate Banana, Peach, Cherry Chocolate Chip, Blackberry, and Fresh Orange Cream.

I've stocked my freezer with several more frozen fruits and my refrigerator with fresh ones which I'll try in the next couple of days until I run out of Healthy Top and have to order more.

Organic Gardening Tips

2011-04-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

This is something my wife turned me on to. Below are the first 50, but there are hundreds at the SITE:

Organic Gardening Tips

Looking for tips on specific types of vegetables or herbs? Get vegetable gardening and herb gardening tips here. Or read about 11 useful organic gardening products for your home garden.

1. Mulch your flower beds and trees with 3" of organic material - it conserves water, adds humus and nutrients, and discourages weeds. It gives your beds a nice, finished appearance.

2. Mulch acid-loving plants with a thick layer of pine needles each fall. As the needles decompose, they will deposit their acid in the soil.

3. The most important step in pest management is to maintain healthy soil. It produces healthy plants, which are better able to withstand disease and insect damage.

4. Aphids? Spray infested stems, leaves, and buds with a very dilute soapy water, then clear water. It works even on the heaviest infestation.

5. Compost improves soil structure, texture, and areation, and increases the soil's water holding capacity. It also promotes soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development.

6. Look for natural and organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers, such as the use of compost. Our use of inorganic fertilizer is causing a toxic buildup of chemicals in our soil and drinking water.

7. When buying plants for your landscape, select well-adapted plant types for your soil, temperature range, and sun or shade exposure.

8. Landscaping your yard is the only home improvement that can return up to 200% of your original investment.

9. Plant trees! They increase in value as they grow and save energy and money by shading our houses in the summer, and letting the sun shine through for warmth in the winter.

10. Think of trees and their locations as the walls and roofs of our outdoor rooms, when you are planning their locations and sizes.

11. Grass won't grow? Find an appropriate ground cover for the exposed earth and fill the problem space, creating an interesting bed shape.

12. Plant vines on walls, fences, and overhead structures for quick shade, vertical softening, and colorful flower displays.

13. If gourmet cooking is in your plans, organically grown herbs make wonderful landscape plants. They flavor foods, provide medicinal properties, and offer up fragrances. And most thrive on neglect.

14. Shade gardens are low maintenance - they require less watering, slower growth, and fewer weeds to fight.

15. Everyone loves flowers! Annuals are useful for a splash of one-season color. But since replacing them each year is expensive, concentrate them in just a few spots.

16. There is no need to work the soil deeply when adding compost or soil amendments. Eighty five percent of a plant's roots are found in the top 6" of soil.

17. The best organic matter for bed preparation is compost made from anything that was once alive, for example leaves, kitchen waste, and grass clippings.

18. Dig an ugly hole when planting a tree or shrub. A hole with "glazed" sides from a shovel will restrict root penetration into the surrounding soil.

19. Planting from plastic containers? Carefully remove the plant and tear the outside roots if they have grown solidly against the container.

20. Think of mulching as "maintaining the forest floor": add 1" to 3" of compost or mulch to planting beds each year.

21. Natural fertilizers, compost and organic materials encourage native earthworms. Earthworms are nature's tillers and soil conditioners, and manufacture great fertilizer.

22. Bare soil should not be visible around a new planting. Always cover with a layer of mulch, any coarse-textured, loose organic material.

23. Think "biodiversity". Using many different kinds of plants encourage many different kinds of beneficial insects to take up residence in your yard.

24. Organic pest control is a comprehensive approach instead of a chemical approach. Create a healthy biodiversity so that the insects and microbes will control themselves. Using natural products and building healthy soil is the best long-term treatment for pests.

25. Weeds? Spot-spray with common full-strength household vinegar, on a sunny day. It's an organic weed killer that's safe for you and the environment.

26. Mulch! The rain and irrigation water runs off the land, eroding and depleting your unprotected soil.

27. Residential users of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides apply more pounds per acre of these chemicals then farmers do. As these pollutants run off, they harm aquatic life and contaminate the food chain. If you keep your soil healthy, you won't require chemical fertilizers.

28. Some mulching benefits are protection of roots from the sun's heat, and protection of plant crowns from winter cold.

29. To prevent diseases and pest infestation , avoid piling mulch against tree trunks. Spread mulch out as far as the drip line.

30. For effective weed control use a layer of coarse mulch 3" or more in depth. Some hardy grasses may need to be rooted out for successful removal.

31. For a good start, water the ground thoroughly before and after applying a mulch cover.

32. Use plants in your landscape that are either native to your area, or were imported from areas with similar climate and soil. They require a lot less water and care, and won't die off in the winter.

33. Compost is what happens when leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, woodchips, straw, and small twigs are combined, then allowed to break down into a soil-like texture. Use it instead of commercial fertilizers.

34. Formal gardens are for you if you love symmetry. They work best around a focal point like a fountain, sculpture, specimen tree, or group of plants.

35. Some flowers, including sweet peas, iris, foxglove, amaryllis, lantana, lupines, clematis, dature, poinsettia, and oleander, are poisonous.

36. When buying annuals or perennials, select plants that are budded but not yet in bloom, so their energy the first two or three weeks in your garden will be directed toward making larger and stronger plants with better-developed root systems.

37. To increase water conservation, look for drought-resistant plants. Usually these plants have silver leaves, deep taproots and small leaves. Succulents are also able to withstand dry weather.

38. When planting, take into consideration the plant's size at maturity. Layer by height and bloom time for emphasis and constant color.

39. Soaker hoses deliver water directly to the base of the plant, reducing moisture loss from evaporation. Early morning is the best time of day to water.

40. Compost balances both acid and alkaline soils, bringing PH levels into the optimum range for nutrient availability. It contains micronutrients such as iron and manganese that are often absent in synthetic fertilizers.

41. Avoid frequent, deep cultivation, which can damage plant roots, dry out the soil, disturb healthy soil organisms, and bring weed seeds to the surface where they will germinate.

42. Use the least-disruptive and least-polluting protections against a pest. Try the following methods as applicable: first physical removal, barriers, and traps; next, biological controls; then, appropriate botanical and mineral pesticides.

43. Red, orange, and yellow in your landscape will draw the eye and bring objects closer.To make a small garden feel larger, place warm colors in the front of the space and cool colors in the back.

44. Cover street noise - sound pollution can be minimized by the use of water features, such as a waterfall, or a pond with a fountain jet. Wind chimes also help, as can bird feeders that attract songbirds.

45. Newly planted trees need supplemental water to avoid transplant shock, so water deeply on a weekly basis throughout the growing season.

46. Give order to your garden by defining the boundaries with fences, stone walls, or hedges. Include paths for movement.

47. Less than 2 percent of the insects in the world are harmful. Beneficial insects such as ground beetles, ladybugs, fireflies, green lacewings, praying mantids, spiders, and wasps keep harmful insects from devouring your plants. They also pollinate your plants and decompose organic matter.

48. Plant newly purchased plants during the late evening or on a cloudy day. They have a much better chance of surviving if planted during cloudy, rainy weather than dry, sunny weather.

49. Compost introduces and feeds diverse life in the soil, including bacteria, insects, worms, and more, which support vigorous plant growth.

50. Bright light washes out the cool colors, blue, green, and purple. They are best used in shaded areas for maximum impact.

Quick Vegan Chili from Grocery Store Items

2011-04-13T13:36:00.001-04:00

I bought everything I used in this Vegan Chile at the Natural Foods/Organic section of Martin's Supermarket (in some areas it's called Giant) and at the Shepherdstown Farmer's Market. Here are the basic ingredients:

I also pulled some things from my spice supply: Chile powder,Cumin, Sechuan oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and my ordinary hot sauce.

OK, I began by chopping up the green onions, then the clery and mushrooms.

In my large pan I used about a half cup of olive oil to heat these vegetables up and get them soft:

To the vegetables I add 2 cups of Smart Ground Mexican style meat substitute and cook it with the vegetables for a couple of minutes.

Then I added 1 jar of Organic Vegetable Tomato Sauce (which has carrots, garlic, tomatoes and a bunch of spices in it) plus 1/2 jar of water.I stir that up with the vegetables, then add 2 tablespoon chile powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, about 10 drops of Sechuan oil, some pepper flakes, and a couple of shakes of hot sauce... then I mix it all together. Meanwhile I have the stove on high until the tomato sauce bubbles, then I turn it to low.

Now I add two cans of kidney beans, rinsed, and stir them in:

Cover the saucepan and let cook on low for about half an hour, stirring occasionally and taste to see if it is spicy enough for you (I like mine hot.)

While that's cooking I make some brown rice, which takes about 40 minutes...

Finally I serve the chile over the brown rice and have a great lunch. I've made enough to serve six people here...or to have lots of leftovers for tomorrow.

Hope you like it.

Bill's 15 Minute Vegan Ice Creme..

2011-04-10T19:55:00.003-04:00

Here's a recipe that will knock your socks off. I was buying the $4.98 vegan ice-cream substitutes (rice or soy) and going through two or three of those expensive little two-cup containers every week. I was getting too much sugar from them, too.

Then I discovered a way to make my own at home which was noticeably better than the storebought stuff, was much lower in sugar (but just as sweet) and full of fruit.

This recipe makes about five or six cups (depending on the amount of fruit you use) and can be frozen as pops or in containers as regular ice creme. You don't need an ice cream machine... just a blender and some containers or pop molds to hold the mix.

Here are the ingredients you need:

1. A package of MimicCreme Healthy Top (I order it in bulk since I discovered this treat.) You can order it directly at http://www.mimiccreme.com/healthy.html.

2. 2 cups of frozen fruit (I'm using cherries in this one) plus a fresh banana (a sheer extra... I like the mix of flavors.) You can also use chocolate by liquefying plain cocoa with a little hot water, then add some sweetener to it... this will take the place of the fruit (will make about 2 cups less).

3. About eight drops (or the equivalent of 2 teaspoons of regular sugar) of Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme liquid stevia, plus a teaspoonful of powdered sweetener ( I use Truvia, which is a stevia blend). You can also use a teaspoonful of plain vanilla and two or three teaspoons of the powdered sweetener.

That's it for ingredients. Now here's the method.

1. Thaw the two cups of frozen fruit (I use 1 minute in the microwave, but you can also leave it out at room temperature for a couple of hours.) Cut up the banana into chunks.

2. Put the fruit in a blender with the cut up banana, add the vanilla stevia drops and the teaspoon of powdered sweetener and blend them until they are smooth (about a minute).

3. Add the whole package of Healthy Top, set the blender on "Beat" and let it go for 3 minutes or so....

4. Pour the mix into a covered freezer container, or into pop molds and freeze for about 3 hours.

An that's it. It takes about 15 minutes tops to make it and when you try it, you'll never buy the expensive stuff again. This costs about half as much in equivalent quantities and tastes a lot better.

Hope you like it. - Bill

An afternoon of Mushroom Innoculation...

2011-04-10T17:27:00.002-04:00

Elly and I attended a great afternoon affair at Laurie and Bob's five acre farm on Engel-Moler Road. And what was the purpose of this get together that drew a couple of dozen conservationists, Sustainable Shepherdstowners, and your average local mushroom enthusiast? Why, to innoculate oak logs with mushroom spores so that they can be put in the dark to grow and develop edible shitake mushrooms for the Fall.

The process is fairly simple, but requires a lot of muscle effort and concentration. The logs that have been cut and stacked which will be used for the innoculation are put, one at a time, across a couple of sawhorses. Then holes are drilled all around each log at approximately four inch intervals.

Once the holes are drilled, small pegs with the preset mushroom fungus in them are pounded into each hole with a hammer or a rubber mallet.

After the pegs are malleted into the logs, each one is covered with a coat of melted wax which is brushed onto the top of the peg. At the lower left corner of the close-up photo you can see the splotch of wax on top of the peg. In the upper right of the picture is an exposed peg that hasn't been waxed.
Finally, the finished logs are stacked. They will be covered with a fabric sheet to keep the light out and the logs will be kept damp.
We followed up the afternoon activities with snacks and conversations and a mini-concert of bagpipes and drums. Lots of fun and learned a lot about growing mushrooms.

MYcelium... (damedefleur.wordpress.com)
Shitake mushroom workshop (sustainablegrub.wordpress.com)
Growing Oyster Mushrooms, and a Recipe for Vegetarian Terrine (Video) (treehugger.com)

I'm going back to being a Vegan...

2011-04-08T11:32:00.003-04:00

I'll admit it... about six months ago I gave up the Vegan diet I had been on for close to two years and went off on a meat and cheese (mostly cheese) binge. But now, since my weight stopped coming off and I just didn't feel as good, last Monday I returned to my Vegan diet (but I will miss that occasional top sirloin!).
Let's see how long I can keep going (says bill as he digs out his Vegan Chili recipe.)

Found a new site I like a lot...

2010-12-12T11:02:00.003-05:00

http://vegansaurus.com

Vegansaurus! is a neat site with great recipes. Go over and take a look.

The 10 Worst Things about "Frankenfish"...

2010-11-11T16:44:00.001-05:00

What do you know about genetically engineered salmon?

This article was written by the Organic Consumers Association's Political Director, Alexis Baden-Mayer. To take action to stop Frankenfish, please click here.

10. Frankenfish Aren't Animals, They're "Animal Drugs"
Obama's FDA is regulating genetically engineered salmon, a genetically modified organism (GMO) that is the first of its kind, not as an animal, but as an animal drug.
Source: FDA's Guidance for Industry #187 Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals (PDF)
Normally, a veterinary drug would be used for health purposes, but there's no therapeutic benefit associated with jacking up an Atlantic salmon with the genes of a Chinook salmon and the eel-like ocean pout to make it grow twice as fast. On the contrary, genetic engineering increases the poor salmon's mortality, disease and deformity.
Source: American Anti-Vivisection Society
So, why would the FDA treat a the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption like a drug? The idea came from the biotech industry. They knew that the FDA's animal drug process would keep companies' "proprietary" information secret, while limiting public participation and downplaying food safety concerns. Genius.

9. The GMO Part of the GMO Salmon Isn't Being Safety Tested
Since 1992, the FDA has operated under the legal fiction created by the Bush-Quayle Administration that there is no risk associated with the human consumption of genetically engineered plants and animals. The FDA explains that DNA is Generally Recognized as Safe, so genetically engineered DNA is safe, too, and it doesn't have to be safety tested.
Source: FDA's Statement of Policy - Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties (PDF)

8. Frankenfish DNA Could Change the Bacteria of Your Gut
A human study conducted by the UK's Food Standards Agency found that consuming genetically engineered soy can result in "horizontal gene transfer," where the bacteria of the gut takes up the soy's modified DNA. With GMO salmon, the bacteria of our digestive tracks could take up the engineered salmon genes, but the FDA isn't looking into whether this would happen or how it might effect our health, because...
Source: Nature Biotechnology

7. If It Swims Like a Salmon, FDA Says It's Safe to Eat
Instead of reviewing the safety of consuming genetically engineered salmon DNA, the FDA food safety review is a simple quacks-like-a-duck-style comparison of genetically engineered and normal salmon for hormone levels, nutrition, and allergenic potency.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

6. FDA Lets the Frankenfish Company Test Its Own Product's Safety
The FDA's food safety review of GMO salmon consists of collecting data produced by AquaBounty, the company that wants to sell it. Not surprisingly, that data is seriously flawed.
* AquaBounty did not always segregate, or even collect, data specific to their AquAdvantage GMO Salmon. And, FDA did not require AquaBounty to produce data in the actual conditions under which the salmon will be commercially produced, so we don't have food safety data on the Panama-raised, triploid, monosex AquAdvantage Salmon that people will be actually be eating if the FDA grants approval.
* FDA did not require AquaBounty to show that AquAdvantage and normal salmon were similar when raised under the same conditions. AquaBounty's food safety data for genetically engineered salmon did not have to match data for its control salmon. FDA compared AquaBounty's data for genetically engineered salmon to data for farmed salmon raised under unknown conditions and data for salmon from other scientific studies.
* AquaBounty only tested a few fish, making it less likely that its food safety studies would reveal statistically significant differences between genetically engineered and normal salmon.
* AquaBounty's detection levels were often set too low to produce food safety data for comparison.
* AquaBounty selected which fish to test, and unblinded samples.
But, even with all of the flaws and biases that likely hid differences between GMO and normal salmon, it's clear that Frankenfish isn't same...
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

5. Frankenfish Is More Carcinogenic
GMO salmon has 40% more IGF1, a hormone linked to prostate, breast and colon cancers in humans.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

4. Frankenfish Is Less Nutritious
GE salmon is less nutritious than normal salmon. It has the lowest omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of all the salmon in the studies FDA reviewed.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

3. Frankenfish Is More Allergenic
GE salmon have mean allergenic potencies that are 20% and 52% higher than normal salmon, increasing the risk of potentially deadly allergic reactions.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

2. GMOs Can Mess a Fish Up! (But, Salmon Are Already Deformed by Factory Farming)
The FDA notes evidence of "increased frequency of skeletal malformations, and increased prevalence of jaw erosions and multisystemic, focal inflammation" in the tissues of GMO salmon.
Most people wouldn't be too surprised to learn that genetic engineering can mess a fish up. What might shock you is that the FDA dismisses these findings as "within the range observed in rapid growth phenotypes of non-genetically engineered Atlantic salmon."
The abnormalities FDA found weren't much worse than those currently plaguing the factory farmed salmon selected for rapid growth and subjected to the physiological stress of intensive production. "Screamer disease" deforms 80% of Chilean salmon and "humpback" spinal compression is found in 70% of Norwegian salmon operations.
Thanks, FDA, for letting us know that factory farmed salmon are so messed up! But, that's no reason to turn them into Frankenfish!
Source: GMO Salmon Frankenfish and Screamer Disease

But the freakiest thing about all of this is ...
1. The Government Wants More Transgenic Fish and Less Wild Fish
The main justification for GMO salmon is that it could "reduce the pressure on wild fish stocks". But, consumption isn't the primary pressure on wild Alaskan salmon, which gets a "best choice" rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. The biggest threat to wild Alaskan salmon is the destruction of their habitat.
Ironically, as Paul Greenberg, author of the new book "Four Fish," explains, "While the government seeks to boost farmed salmon supplies through transgenics, it is simultaneously letting wild salmon go to pot."
The spawning grounds of wild salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska, are threatened by the international mining giant, Anglo-American, which plans to construct Pebble Mine, the largest open-pit copper and gold mine in the US. Two months ago, a copper mine failure in China's TingRiver killed millions of fish. A similar disaster at Pebble Mine could mean the destruction of a quarter of a billion pounds of salmon, curiously, about the same amount of GMO salmon Aqua Bounty hopes to produce. The EPA could stop Pebble Mine through the Clean Water Act but has failed to act.

Greenberg writes, "More transgenic fish, less wild fish. You have to scratch your head at a government that's planning that kind of seafood menu for its citizens. Instead of endorsing a risky experiment in genetic salmon modification wouldn't it be better if our leaders protected wild salmon habitat? In the end we'd have just as much fish on our plates and a safer environment to boot."

Here's a great article from Business Week...

2010-11-08T07:42:00.000-05:00

Bill Clinton

The Rise of the Power Vegans
Steve Wynn, Russell Simmons, Bill Clinton and a comparable cast of heavies are now using tempeh to assert their superiority. A look at what gives
By Joel Stein

Steve Wynn

It used to be easy for moguls to flaunt their power. All they had to do was renovate the chalet in St. Moritz, buy the latest Gulfstream (GD) jet, lay off 5,000 employees, or marry a much younger Asian woman. By now, though, they've used up all the easy ways to distinguish themselves from the rest of us—which may be why a growing number of America's most powerful bosses have become vegan. Steve Wynn, Mort Zuckerman, Russell Simmons, and Bill Clinton are now using tempeh to assert their superiority. As are Ford Executive Chairman of the Board Bill Ford (F), Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, venture capitalist Joi Ito, Whole Foods Market (WFMI) Chief Executive Officer John Mackey, and Mike Tyson. Yes, Mike Tyson, a man who once chewed on human ear, is now vegan. His dietary habit isn't nearly as impressive as that of Alec Baldwin, though, who has founda way to be both vegan and fat at the same time.
It shouldn't be surprising that so many CEOs are shunning meat, dairy, and eggs: It's an exclusive club. Only 1 percent of the U.S. population is vegan, partly because veganism isn't cheap: The cost comes from the value of specialty products made by speciality companies with cloying names (tofurkey, anyone?). Vegans also have to be powerful enough to even know what veganism is.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Expecting Raw Earth Organics to open in Shepherdstown this weekend...

2010-11-05T10:25:00.005-04:00

The most recent post from the long-awaited Raw Earth Organics is November 6 (tomorrow.)
We've been waiting for the last month for this one to open on German Street.

All Organic and Natural Foods... Proactive in the Local Food Movement. Natural Body care, Organic Skin Care, Hair Care. Supplements/Vitamnins and Raw Foods.Bringing the Mind, Body and Spirit to a whole.

Information

Location:: 125 W. German St.
Shepherdstown, WV, 25443
Phone:: 304.876.0851
Tues - Thurs:: 9:00 am - 7:30 pm
Fri - Sat:: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sun:: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
___________

UPDATE: Well, it's Monday morning and they still haven't opened. If anyone knows what's going on here...please post a comment and let me know. -Bill

I've been unavailable...

2010-11-04T22:09:00.001-04:00

...but I'll be putting some new recipes together this weekend and looking into some shopping locations in The Panhandle. Come back soon.

- Bill

Bill's Vegan Biscuits

2010-10-20T18:07:00.001-04:00

I needed a biscuit that does not use dairy products and does use whole wheat flour (at my wife's request.) So here's how I made them (recipe makes 10 2 1/2" Biscuits).

Ingredients:
    •    2 cups whole wheat flour
    •    4 teaspoons baking powder
    •    1 teaspoon salt
    •    4 tablespoons vegan butter substitute
    •    2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
How to make 'em:

Preheat oven to 375°
then...
    1.     Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl.
    2.     Mix butter in with knife or fingers.
    3.     After butter is well mixed, add milk slowly.
    4.     Roll dough out on floured board.
    5.     Cut with biscuit cutter
    6.     Bake on greased baking sheet in oven for 12 minutes.

Enjoy.

Fruit Fly Problem?

2010-10-14T09:27:00.000-04:00

If you are like me, you eat a lot of fruit and probably have an exposed fruitbowl full of apples and oranges, etc. This time of year, a lot of fruit flies appear to make your life miserable.

I have been battling with fruit flies for the last week or so... they pop up everywhere... drains, fruitbowl, cutting board area... and, since we don't use any poison sprays, getting rid of them was a real problem. Until I did my research, of course, and discovered how to make "fruit fly traps" which have worked so well that you hardly see any of the little bastards around.

How does one make a fruit fly trap? Simple. Start with a good, widemouthed jar (we always have plenty of old Ball jars around which we use for canning) and put in about an inch or two of warm water with a squirt of dishwashing soap. Then add a shot of apple cider and a shot of red wine. Cover the top of the jar with a piece of Saran Wrap and use a rubber band to keep it tightly sealed at the neck of the jar. Now comes the tricky part... you have to punch a few very small holes through the plastic wrap... small enough for the fruit flies to get in but not so large that they can go right out again. I use a nut pick to punch the holes, but a fork could do it, too.

Then all you have to do is put the jar wherever the greatest number of the pests have been spotted. I made four jars and put them in various places in my kitchen. Now all you do is wait. In about an hour or so you will notice a distinct reduction in the bugs. The next day when you check the jars you will find they are full of little drowned fruit flies. Amazing!

I change the liquid and reseal the jars every few days and my fruit-flies are now nowhere to be found (on the first refill day there were much fewer of them caught in the traps, so we are succeeding quite well.)

An apology and a recipe...

2010-10-10T17:49:00.000-04:00

I've been away from Panhandle Vegan for a couple of weeks, for which I apologize. I've been spending most of the time shopping for a car, getting through a theater production at Full Circle Theater, and a pile of other things (I spend what time I have available keeping Under The LobsterScope going and we're in a heavy political season).

But I'm back today and I have a recipe tailored to diabetic vegans out there... Blueberry Coffee Cake.

OK... here we go.

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup stevia powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thaw frozen blueberries after measuring - 1 minute in the microwave should do it.)

Wet Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsweetened almond, soy or coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon canola or sesame oil

Topping:
2 tablespoons stevia powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray or wipe the bottom and sides of a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Put the oats into a blender and grind until they are a fine oat flour. Mix the oat flour with the other dry ingredients. Stir in 1/4 cup of the blueberries.

Put the remaining cup blueberries into a blender or food processor with the water. Pulse (quickly turn on and off) to coarsely chop the blueberries, but do not completely puree.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in blueberry mixture and other wet ingredients. Stir until moistened and completely combined, but don't over-mix.

Pour into the prepared pan (batter will be quite thick). Mix together the sugar and cinnamon topping, and sprinkle it over the top.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick or fork inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool.

You'll really like it and it will be pretty safe for any diabetic Vegan on my block!

Bill Clinton... Vegan?

2010-09-23T12:12:00.002-04:00

There's been a lot of press lately about Bill Clinton having become a Vegan. If so, that's really great. On TV today he looked pretty trim... he's lost a lot of weight (and all the fat that used to be around his neck) and seems like his energy level is pretty high.

There was also some comment that he occasionally eats fish... now, I know this throws a wrench into the Vegan definition, but I think "Bill, do the best you can... you are looking great!"

Wow! Amy's makes a soy cheese macaroni and cheese and it is great!

2010-09-21T17:02:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad I discovered this, after reading about it in one of the Vegan mags online. This comes in single serving units and takes about six minutes in the microwave.

And it is DELICIOUS. The Soy Cheddar Cheese actually tastes like cheddar.

For people who can't tolerate soy cheese, they are also coming out with a Non Dairy Rice Mac & Cheeze that uses a non-soy, non-dairy cheese (I think it's Daiya's cheddar)... this should be on healthfood shelves soon!

Panhandle Vegan

Watch out for Potato Chips

The Battle of the Fruit Flies...

A Lime Pie Experiment...

HOW TO DO A GMO FOOD DUMP...

Join the Millions against Monsanto...

What do you know about Food Disparagement Laws?

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Here's a great article from Business Week...

The Rise of the Power Vegans

Steve Wynn, Russell Simmons, Bill Clinton and a comparable cast of heavies are now using tempeh to assert their superiority. A look at what gives

Expecting Raw Earth Organics to open in Shepherdstown this weekend...

Information

I've been unavailable...

Bill's Vegan Biscuits

Fruit Fly Problem?

An apology and a recipe...

Bill Clinton... Vegan?

Wow! Amy's makes a soy cheese macaroni and cheese and it is great!