Down to Earth - Safety in Food Production

No need to avoid beef, if you know its source

Sara — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:39:14 +0000

The latest E. coli-related beef recall has prompted me to stop unpacking moving boxes long enough to post. Obama Foodarama is urging people to “avoid beef like the plague“, pointing out that the recall is voluntary, so there is no guarantee that the recalled beef is actually being pulled from the shelves. On top of [...]

Affordable Grilling for Summer

Sara — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:33:38 +0000

The Washington Post recently ran a great article on Affordable Summer Grilling. (thanks Beef Daily Blog!) You can grill great on a budget by using some of the lower-priced cuts such as such as flank, skirt, Texas-style boneless ribs (chuck ribs), Seven (chuck) steaks and sirloin steak. Part of the secret to getting top quality out [...]

Food Safety Risks from Reusable Grocery Bags

Sara — Mon, 25 May 2009 03:41:06 +0000

Just when I finally got myself trained to remember to take my reusable “green” grocery bags to the store (at least most of the time), I read a report on “food safety threats” from them! Apparently, reusing the bags can result in the accumulation of coliform bacteria and molds. Before you trash all those bags, however, [...]

Better than Church

Sara — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:42:37 +0000

It’s Sunday morning at Wild Type Ranch. We returned late last night from 2 days at an Angus cattle sale in Fredericksburg, TX. Everyone else is having a well-deserved lie-in, but I’ve already gotten too used to the summer early rising schedule to sleep in. [Between needing to leave early for farmer’s markets twice a [...]

Excuse my neglect

Sara — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:04:13 +0000

Life has been pretty hectic at Wild Type Ranch lately. My husband has had to make two emergency trips to Australia since the beginning of the year, each time leaving my boys (ages 7 and 9) and I to take care of the ranch while attending school an hour away. Considering spring is our calving, [...]

The Day the Chicken Went to Town

Sara — Sun, 03 May 2009 02:20:16 +0000

I had a guest at the Farmer’s Market today. I’m not sure she was really thrilled to be there, but she did manage to lay an egg nonetheless. Saturday’s market starts at 8:00, which means leaving the ranch well before sun-up. I usually get everything loaded and my car hooked up to the freezer trailer, so [...]

Facts on Pork and Influenza

Sara — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:16:45 +0000

Despite the nomenclature “swine flu”, the CDC assures us that there is no danger of contracting influenza from eating or handling pork. Here’s some facts: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: • People cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Most influenza viruses, [...]

Whole Foods top list of Functional Foods

Sara — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:52:46 +0000

Functional Foods are defined as foods that, in addition to nutrition, offer distinct health benefits. The term usually brings to mind “added” features, such as enrichment with probiotics, omega-3’s, or other components that are added through processing. I was pleased to see that 4 of the 5 “best functional foods” listed by the New York Dietetic Association [...]

Concerned about Food Safety Bill HR 875?

Sara — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 02:51:56 +0000

Like many of my colleagues, I’ve been swamped by forwarded e-mails about the pending “Food Safety” legislation, HR 875. Most, if not all, of the e-mails tell me that this will be the end of my direct-to-consumer marketing, farmer’s markets, organic gardening and so on; such as “… if NAIS and 875 both pass, we [...]

Consumers unsure about new food technologies

Sara — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:21:51 +0000

I recently read a new report on consumer’s attitudes about food technologies. The report was done by the Food Standards Agency (an independent UK Government department aiming to protect the public’s health and consumer interests in relation to food). “Overall, the public was found to be wary, uneasy and uncertain about emerging food technologies. Having said this, [...]