Jamie Oliver has started a food revolution.

Through his Jamie Oliver Food Foundation he has mobilized millions of people to participate in a world-wide event known as Food Revolution Day. HandPicked Nation joined the revolution by posting this video supporting Jamie’s efforts.

Why do we need a food revolution, one might ask?

Jamie’s site dishes up some inspiring answers to that question:

We’re losing the war against obesity in the US. It’s sad, but true. Our kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods, and today’s children will be the first generation ever to live shorter lives than their parents. It’s time for change. It’s time for a Food Revolution.

“Since I’ve been working in America, I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of people who have come out to support the Food Revolution. More than 630,000 people have signed the petition, over 300,000 of you subscribe to our newsletter and thousands of you have written to me. The only message I keep hearing is that you believe your kids need better food, and that you want help to keep cooking skills alive. That’s why this Food Revolution matters.”

– Jamie Oliver

The problem stems from the loss of cooking skills at home and the availability of processed foods at every turn, from the school cafeteria to church function halls, factories and offices. This Food Revolution is about saving lives by inspiring everyone: moms, dads, kids, teens and cafeteria workers to get back to basics and start cooking good food from scratch.

“

The only message I keep hearing is that you believe your kids need better food, and that you want help to keep cooking skills alive. — Jamie Oliver

”

A national movement to change the way America eats

Jamie wants to mobilize the huge response to the Food Revolution so far and turn it into a movement for change in which America leads the world. It will bring together millions of people and inspire the nation to fight obesity with better food. At its heart is a powerful strategy to get people cooking again. Here are some of the ways we’ll be doing that:

• More cooking at home
  • A nationwide network of community kitchens where anyone can go to learn basic home cooking
  • Jamie’s home cooking course
• Freshly cooked meals at school
  • An activist program to support parents who want better food in their child’s school
  • A community website to encourage grass-roots activities for change all over the US
• Cooking in the community
  • The Food Revolution truck, a mobile food classroom and flagship center for the Food Revolution
  • A cooking course available in church halls, community and healthcare centers and the workplace
• Schools and Communities – to inspire and educate parents, carers, young adults and children through:
  • Freshly cooked meals in schools and colleges
  • Cooking lessons for kids at school
  • Lessons teaching basic food skills to healthcare and social care professionals
  • Cooking classes for the public in the community
• Corporations – to promote culture change and encourage community investment on several levels:
  • Food industry – help to tackle obesity by producing better food products and labeling products in a more honest way
  • Healthcare sector – investing in future health means cost savings down the line
  • Employee health – provide better food for employees in company canteens and provide cooking classes for employees to give them the skills they need to be healthy

If you believe in real food and in advancing basic cooking skills, if you subscribe to the idea that food should nourish a healthy lifestyle, if you support the notion that food in schools should be nurturing to the kids who are eating it, if you are concerned about the our nationwide obesity epidemic, then you should be participating in Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution 2013. It’s that simple.

Viva Revolution!

Do you agree there is a pressing need for a food revolution?

Photo Credit: Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

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I love pickles. Dilly beans, too. Like most people, my grandma put them up every year using cucumbers from my grandfather’s garden. I loved being underfoot in the kitchen counting the rows of empty jars waiting to be filled,  the crisp smell of cucumbers and dill tickling my nose. Nowadays, it seems like everyone and their brother is pickling something. Our friend Branden Byers has taken it one step further. He has taken his delicious dilly beans and dehydrated them, creating a crisp spicy flavor that is a terrific side dish or healthy snack. Green bean season is coming soon, and they will be added to our list of things going into jars. And then we’ll season them and dry them out! What a great way to eat your vegetables.

He has this advice in preparation:

Don’t squeeze out the garlic dill grean beans before dehydrating. Removing as much liquid as possible does make for faster dehydration, however, the texture and crunch of the final dehydrated bean is affected. If you do decide to squeeze, then the dehydration will be closer to 6 hours as opposed to 9 hours. Since these expirements are about taste and mouthfeel, I opted for not squeezing my second batch.

4-6 servings

Spicy Dehydrated Dillybeans

• 1/2 lb fermented green beans (approximate)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons parmesan
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

• Remove previously fermented green beans from brine.
• Place the grean beans in a bowl and mix with oil, parmesan, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
• Place the flavored green beans onto dehydrator trays.
• Dehydrate for 9 hours at 120°F (48°C).

Click here to read the full article over at fermup.com.

This recipe originally appeared on fermup.com. It is shared here with permission from the author.

Tell us what you think after you’ve tried Branden’s recipe.

Photo credit: Branden Byers

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With the high incidence of mass shootings recently, our attention has turned to the issue of gun control. As a nation that has mourned at least 61 mass shootings in 30 years, it makes sense to raise questions about guns and society. It also makes sense to consider the role of video games, Hollywood violence, and inadequate school security. The subject of mental health is also relevant, as many of the mass shooters exhibited symptoms of mental illness prior to their acts of violence.

Mental illness is clearly an issue of our day. A World Health Organization fact sheet estimates that more than 350 million people suffer from depression, making it the number one cause of disability worldwide. Drugs used to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders have therefore entered the spotlight. These drugs, while offering hope for some, offer serious side effects for others—including a propensity toward self-inflicted and/or homicidal violence. According to Dr. David Healy, psychiatrist, author, and founder of the website RxISK :

“Violence and other potentially criminal behavior caused by prescription drugs are medicine’s best kept secret.”

RxISK offers The Violence Zone, a page devoted to the issue of prescription drugs and violent thoughts and behavior. The Violence Zone also helps individuals identify these thoughts before acting on them.

With the established epidemic of mental illness, coupled with the link between psychotropic drugs and acts of violence, the question must be asked: Why are we seeing this trend? Why are so many suffering from depression and anxiety?

There are a myriad of possibilities: Isolation due to technology. Urbanization. Sedentary lifestyle. Heightened social pressures.

What about the role of food? Is it possible our modern diet of processed and chemically modified food is contributing to the prevalence of mental illness? Drugs, taken orally, clearly impact the body and brain through the digestive tract. Why not consider the potential for artificial dyes, GMOs, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and other alterations to impact our emotional well-being?

Ascribing a connection between digestive health and mood is not a new idea. In the late 18th century, Philippe Pinel, the father of modern psychiatry, concluded:

“The primary seat of insanity generally is in the region of the stomach and intestines.”

In the 1860s, German physician Hermann Senator suggested a link between melancholia and intestinal self-infective processes.

In the early 1930s, Cleveland dentist Dr. Weston Price traveled the globe asking why primitive people groups subsisting on traditional, whole-food diets were maintaining their good health while those introduced to a highly refined diet were experiencing physical and mental degeneration. Price noted the reduced incidence of crime among these primitive groups.

In more recent years, researchers discovered that 90-95% of the “happy” neurotransmitter, serotonin, is located in the gut—a finding with significant implications.

No doubt the issues surrounding the mass shootings, suicides, and other acts of violence are complex. There are no simple answers. However, let’s consider all possibilities as we seek to make sense out of these senseless crimes—including the impact of our modern diet. In the words of Dr. Price:

“The writer is fully aware that his message is not orthodox, but since our orthodox theories have not saved us we may have to readjust them to bring them into harmony with Nature’s laws. Nature must be obeyed, not orthodoxy.”

–Dr. Weston Price, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 1939

Do you think there is a connection between diet and mental health?

Illustration by: Andrea Fabry

The post From Gun Control to Gut Control: the Link between Mental Health and Diet appeared first on HandPicked Nation.

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Blooming flowers and trees have been overwhelming my senses (I’m really sorry if your allergies are suffering). Being surrounded by nature’s beauty has inspired me to spring clean my beauty regime and in my opinion, using essential oils from plants and flowers is about as close to Mother Nature as you can get!

Those who know me know I love rose oil. Rose has some serious flower power for the face. Rose is naturally antibacterial, which can help treat acne and acne-prone skin types. It also contains high amounts of vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant (and anti-aging ingredient) and rose locks in moisture. As we all know moisture, moisture, moisture, will keep those wrinkles at bay. Neal’s Yard Remedies–Rose facial oil, is an organic oil that smells divine and delivers all the above and then some!

Chamomile isn’t just for your teacup–it’s extremely restorative and healing for your skin. This delicate flower, is excellent for tissue regeneration, promotes circulation and calming sunburns. Chamomile is one of the main ingredients found in Tammy Fender’s Capillary Strengthening Oil Blend. This healing oil also contains carrot seed, sunflower seed, and helichrysium.

If you shy away from oils because you have combination skin, yes oily skin can use oils. I promise, Decleor’s Purifying Ylang Ylang Serum for combination and oily skin, is for you! Ylang Ylang not only smells divine, it helps combat oily skin. Geranium, rosemary and St. Thomas Bay complete this elixir to purify, balance the skin, and help reduce excess sebum and impurities–perfect choice for the warmer months.

Want a multivitamin for your skin?! Then look no further than Tata Harper’s Replenishing Nutrient Complex oil. This oil is jam-packed with antioxidants, nutrients, fatty acids, vitamins, lipids, amino acids, and omegas–yeah!  The ingredient list is an impressive 96% organic 17 active ingredients. Serious anti-aging benefits, but friendly on your wallet.

And then there’s Rodin olio lusso, packed with powerhouse flowers, plants and herbs. This oil not only smells amazing, but also delivers results. Jasmine, rose hip seed, arnica and rosemary, to name a few of the key ingredients found in a simple glass bottle. Rodin olio lusso has a cult following, and after experiencing its results I can see why.

After playing hocus-pocus in my bathroom, I quickly found it’s not only costly to purchase essential oils, but can be like playing Russian roulette with your face. What to mix and how much–ugh! My vote–let’s leave it up to the professionals. There are so many on the market, above are just a few of my favorites.

Here are a few tips: Apply your oil of choice after you’ve cleansed your skin and while it’s still damp. Wait a few minutes (i.e. brush your teeth, make coffee, etc.) and then apply moisturizer. You can apply oil morning and night and remember to always apply sunscreen (psst…my next article, we’ll chat about the best natural sunscreens.) during the day after you moisturize.

And, last but not least, enjoy the aromatherapy benefits when using essential oils. They truly nourish the mind, body and soul. You’ll be breathing in scents to keep you relaxed, energized and aware while glowing all at the same time!

Do you make essential oils a part of your beauty regimen?

Photo credit: Jake Goodman

The post Flower Power for Your Face appeared first on HandPicked Nation.

On April 18, 2013, Time at the Table hosted the first (dare I hope, annual?) Family Dinner Conference at NYU. It was a whirlwind day that can’t adequately be summed up by any blog post; many of us who were in attendance have tried, but when you get a whole bunch of amazing bloggers, activists, and family dinner experts together in one room and let some of them actually take the stage for a while, the result is delightful and truly indescribable.

I’d promised the fabulous HandPicked Nation folks prior to the conference that I’d provide them with a report after the fact, but truthfully, I’ve spent most of my spare thinking time since the event trying to decide exactly what to say about it. There was a lot of information and a lot of energy swirling around in that room, which should mean that there would be plenty to report. I’m just finding that it all had the opposite effect on me–the saturation effect, the effect of “Soooo much to take iiiinnnn…not enough time to process…muuuust….write…post…”

In the end, I think the Family Dinner Conference really boiled down to the key message that despite the naysayers’ attempts to discredit its importance, family dinner is an institution that is worth our time and effort; and if you’re trying to make it happen, you’re on the right track. I know it’s not earth-shattering, but then again, the best truths in life almost never are. When you know something is simply and deeply right, you won’t be surprised by having it affirmed as the truth; you’ll just feel good about it, which is exactly how I think most of us felt about being family dinner advocates when we left that room at NYU.

Beyond the core affirmation of our family dinner faith, however, there were some repeated themes that came up throughout the day, which probably bear reprinting here:

There’s no one right way to do it. Family dinner, it turns out, is not like Olympic diving, algebra, or using the Queen’s English. There isn’t one formula or one set of rules that will produce a single accepted correct result. (Also, there will probably not be a judging panel or a letter grade of any kind, unless you want there to be.) I talked about this in my presentation; other people touched on it in theirs as well. What we learned at the conference is that you can have family dinner once a week or more often than that; you can eat it at the dining room table or somewhere else; you can serve it family-style or as a buffet; and no matter what you choose, as long as it works well for you, it will be fine. If it’s not working well for you, then you should probably choose to do something differently, but that’s another subject entirely.

Everybody likes family dinner. Yes, everybody–surly teenagers and cranky, overstressed parents included.  Some of the people at the conference were able to relate lovely, heartwarming stories of how their older children and teens have finally begun to thank them for their family dinner efforts over the years, providing a ray of hope to those of us whose younger dinner denizens are still more likely to throw the food at us than thank us for preparing it. Their experiences are backed by surprising research, as luck would have it: according to Dr. Grace Freedman of Eatdinner.org, teenagers rate family dinner as being very important to them, and kids in older elementary and middle grades tend to consistently rank family dinner as being more likely to provide them with a vast array of social-emotional and health benefits than any other single factor in their lives, including organized athletics or academic success. And even if you don’t have kids, you should still make the effort to set a dinner routine in place for yourself, since Dr. Freedman also shared that adults are likely to feel less stressed and to enjoy their lives more if they make family dinner a part of their schedule.

A little know-how goes a long way. There may not be one right way to tackle family dinner, but it was pretty much universally agreed by all the participants that you’ve got to have some sort of a game plan to make it happen consistently, so you can get all those positive benefits. Whether you go with meal planning (either done yourself, or done with the help of a subscription service), batch-cooking and freezing, or delegating duties to capable family members to lighten your own load, you’re much more likely to enjoy and stick with a family dinner routine if you know how you’re going to achieve it each night.

“Family” is in the eye of the beholder. Sure, many of us at the conference have something resembling a traditional nuclear family–some permutation of parents and kids living under one roof and sharing the family table. But there’s no reason that people whose lives look a bit different in some way shouldn’t reap the rewards of a family dinner. Whether “family” simply means you and a spouse, partner, or roommate, or whether you expand the definition to include co-workers, friends, or people in your broader community, cooking and sharing a communal meal with others on a regular basis can lower your stress, improve your physical and emotional health, and strengthen your social bonds. My own fabulous sister, a single college professor with a busy career and full life, enjoys a regular “family dinner” in the form of a weekly supper club with some of her closest colleagues. They put no less time, effort, and thought into creating their dinner ritual than most of us do in our homes, and I’m sure the benefits they’ve gotten from the routine are just as rich as ours.

It’s no good if you don’t enjoy it. Possibly the most surprising–and definitely the most-repeated–statistic of the whole conference was Dr. Freedman’s unveiling of this particular nugget: The most necessary component of a high-quality family dinner experience is laughter. That’s right. Not organic, home-cooked food (though that’s important); not a set routine (also important); not the number of people at the table. What made people of all ages classify their family dinner experiences as high-quality, and therefore beneficial and memorable, was laughter.

So in other words, if you want to stress less, laugh more, and be generally healthier–and pass those benefits on to your family–the good old family dinner is still one of the best ways to address all of those goals in one fell swoop. And the good news is, your family dinner doesn’t have to look anything like the ones your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother achieved every day in order to be worthwhile. All you need is a little bit of commitment and a good dose of cheer.

Photo credit: Staci Strauss

What do you do to ensure dinner around the table at your house?

The post Resurrecting Dinnertime: The Family Dinner Conference appeared first on HandPicked Nation.

Sunday mornings in Rhinebeck, New York are about to get a whole lot more exciting because the Rhinebeck Farmers’ Market is returning for its 20^th season.

Named by Hudson Valley magazine as the ‘Best Farmers Market’ in the Hudson Valley for the past five years and a ‘Hudson Valley Essential’ by Bon Appétit, this is a not-to-be missed market. The enthusiastic crowds prove it every Sunday from Mother’s Day to Thanksgiving. (There’s even an indoor Winter Market that fills in until warm weather arrives.)

The crew from HandPicked Nation spent more than a few Sundays at the market speaking with vendors and customers to produce the short video you can see here. It was obvious early on in the production that this market has a legion of ardent fans.

And why not?

Stunning goods, knowledgeable and friendly merchants, and an appealing location in the middle of the village help make this market attract weekenders and locals alike.

This from their website:

The market began back in 1994 when a group of residents and business people organized with the goal of creating a venue to promote Hudson Valley agricultural products and to enhance the social and economic vitality of the Town and Village of Rhinebeck.

The market has since evolved into something greater. It has become Rhinebeck’s Sunday morning gathering place. A place where neighbors meet and mingle and visitors can sample the very best of the Hudson Valley. Our vendors provide a diverse and unique selection of farm fresh products including fruits and vegetables, beef, pork, lamb, venison, buffalo, fish, chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, rabbit, eggs from chicken, duck, turkey and pheasant, goat, cow and sheep’s milk cheeses, dairy, honey, juices, jams, flowers & plants, smoked products and much more.

The Rhinebeck Farmers’ Market is unique in that it is not supported by a civic or governmental organization and enjoys no special eligibility status. The market relies solely upon vendor fees, business sponsors, donations, volunteers and merchandise sales for its operating funds.

Cheryl Paff is the brilliant market manager for Rhinebeck Farmers’ Market. We recently spoke with her about the upcoming season. Here is what she had to say:

“There’s so much to be excited about this time of year. The spring growing season is taking off with asparagus, ramps and rhubarb poking through the ground and we are about to embark on our 20th year of the outdoor market. It has been a true joy partnering with our region’s best growers and food artisans. We absolutely love being a hub for all that is great about the Hudson Valley.”

Every community should be so lucky to have a market like the one in Rhinebeck. On a cool summer morning, neighbors meet, visit and shop. They get to know the people who produce the good food available, and in turn, the farmers connect with the folks that will be nourished by their efforts. It truly is the town square. If you’re ever in the beautiful town of Rhinebeck, New York, stop by and say ‘hi’.

Photo Credit: HandPicked Nation

Tell us what you like about your local farmers’ market.

The post 20 Years On: The Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market appeared first on HandPicked Nation.

Southern cooking’s popularity seems limitless. Certainly its cultural roots and down home flavors are at the core of southern cuisine’s continual upward trend, but another factor could be Nathalie Dupree. She is one of southern cooking’s most ardent advocates. An author of eleven cookbooks, Ms. Dupree has sold more than half a million copies. Clearly she’s getting the word out about the treasures and pleasures of food from down south. And now she has a new offering.

Whether borrowed from Julia Child’s title or not, Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by the doyenne of southern cooking, Nathalie Dupree and her co-author Cynthia Graubert, has captured the essence of southern food for all levels of cooks.

Early in Nathalie’s career Julia encouraged her to teach cooking, and she has done so for over 40 years. She has also hosted over 300 television shows bringing the tastes of the south alive. Nathalie claims that southern cuisine is the mother of American cooking and the James Beard Foundation seems to agree having recently awarded the book the Best American Cookbook of the year.

In this episode Linda Pelaccio sits down with Nathalie and Cynthia to discuss the essence of southern cooking.

You can listen to the episode in its entirety here.

(This episode of A Taste of the Past was sponsored by White Oak Pastures)

What’s your favorite southern cuisine recipe?

This podcast originally appeared on Heritage Network Radio. It has been re-posted here with permission from the author.

Photo Credit: Heritage Radio Network

The post History of Southern Cooking (Podcast) appeared first on HandPicked Nation.

Eating well is a lifelong journey–one that some of us start early in life and some later (but hopefully not too late). Finding foods that provide us with optimal energy and brainpower is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. We are constantly bombarded with various fad diets and health slogans these days, requiring us to dig deep inside and sift through the nonsense of what we are being sold.

I recently wrote an article, entitled “Become Your Own Nutrition Expert,” where I discussed the idea of keeping a food journal to gain awareness of how some foods provide you with energy and others leave you feeling lethargic and ready for a nap. I encouraged the reader to eat whole foods and avoid caffeine, sugar and to keep wheat intake low.

If you have already undertaken the suggested steps and are wondering what is next, here are some further tips for continuing on your journey:

• Increase mindfulness around eating. The more you pay attention to what and how you eat, the more in touch you will be with yourself and those around you. Sit down when you eat, take a deep breath in and out. Look at your food, smell the food, give thanks for the nourishment it is going to bring you. When you eat, notice the sensations that happen in your body. Keep aware of all the effort your body puts forth in the digestive process.

• Honor your body’s needs by allowing yourself to eat the foods that work for you even it’s a little inconvenient for those around you. It’s fine to let those in your life know what you are eating, and what you are not. If it’s hard for them, bring something with you that you can eat and share (you might inspire those in your life to try something different too).

• Stay inspired by looking up recipes online. HandPicked Nation has some amazing recipes. If you have two or three favorites for each of your staple foods, you will not get bored with them (if you do, you can just look up more!) Rotate foods. Make enough for a couple of days so you don’t have to cook each day but then give that food a rest for a week or so. When you rotate the food back in again, you will welcome it.

• Keep trying new foods and take note of how you feel when you have them. Expanding our diet is like reading a new book or visiting a new spot. It widens our taste buds and brings fresh life to our established routines. It is good to keep open about food and be adventurous.

• Most importantly, keep checking in with yourself and tweak when needed. Sometimes we need to play around with the ratios of our food groups. At times we need more protein than complex carbohydrates and fat. Other times, we need cut back on the protein a bit and have more carbs. There are also times when we need more fat (one example is if we are exercising a lot). You will know you are having the right amounts when you have long stretches of feeling energized and satisfied.

When we keep alert to what our body needs, we create an awareness inside that requires us to be awake in our food choices, creating a more comprehensive bond with our food. Eating becomes more than just filling our stomachs. We start connecting with our food in a more meaningful way that allows for a deeper form of nourishment: physical, emotional and mental–in return we get to experience life more fully. Being food aware will always pay dividends.

Photo Credit: Staci Strauss

Are you ready to take the next steps in your journey?

The post Food Aware: Taking the Next Steps in Your Journey appeared first on HandPicked Nation.

Nowadays, we need a logo, certification or stamp of approval to validate pretty much everything we buy. But why? It’s best to know your farmer.

Certifications provide assurance that someone is representing the consumer, holding producers to a set of standards. We need representation because we have become disconnected or removed from pretty much every consumer good we buy. 150 years ago, most of what we needed came from within 25 miles. We knew our butcher, bookbinder, tailor, farmer, tool maker, etc. You didn’t need certifications because you knew who made what you were buying. You approved the producer yourself.

Throughout the 20th century, every industry, agriculture included, began to centralize production. It placed the consumers on a fast-moving train that was pulling them further and further away from their origin of their purchases.

But how do we know the “set” of criteria used to validate a product is “our” criteria? Do we research the criteria? Probably not! We see the logo and assume, “It’s got credentials so it must be okay.”

Take the ‘Organic’ label. It enables us to shop like zombies, roving the aisles just looking for the green and white circle asking one question, “Is it organic?” It is definitely the better choice over conventional and supports a better growing practice, but it doesn’t bring us closer to our food and the person who grew it.

Regional food systems bring us all closer to our food and the closer we get, the need for official certifications becomes lessened. And in the case of food, this enables us to get to know our farmers and certify them ourselves.

This is especially helpful for small, market farmers growing vegetables and fruit for farm share programs and farmers’ markets, as well as regional distribution to restaurants and schools. Their raw materials are going straight into local food production. If these farmers can talk to their customer and the customer can see their ecological growing practices, why do we need organic certification for these producers? Becoming ‘organic certified’ can be costly, putting yet another financial burden on cash-strapped farmers. Yet, we are conditioned to look for that logo and if it’s not there, we forget that we can do a little research or simply ask the farmer at the farmers’ market how they grow their food.

This is not to discredit organic certification. It has an important place. If a farm is growing primarily for packaged, organic food like cookies, chips, dairy, and sauces where the ingredients could be coming from multiple producers, we do need a way to ensure all those producers are following a similar set of guidelines.

The moral to the story is we need to lower the market barriers for small farms growing sustainably and wanting to distribute locally. And organic certification should not be the only way to gauge the quality of our food. The Know Your Farm Certification should be proof enough.

Photo credit: Staci Strauss

What are your thoughts? Is ‘certified organic’ an end-all-be-all to you?

The post Know Your Farmer Certification appeared first on HandPicked Nation.