Real Food Logic - Part One

Continuing a series on food by Rebecca Gerendasy,

director of CookingUpAStory films, consider the views

discussed in Part One of a dialogue and talk by

Michael Pollan about his latest book on real food and the logic of

it, as opposed to some modern substitutes. 

“In Defense of Food” is valuable reading for anyone

interested in keeping vital foods “whole”.   It’s linked

in the sidebar, on Amazon.  This is a fascinating discussion,

as good nutrition concerns everyone, offering

some real food logic.

(copyright Monika Roleff 2008.)

(copyright cooking up a story, 2008.)

Green Eggs

GREEN EGGS!

These lovely, truly free range eggs hail from

the foothills of the ancient “Grampians” , an area

near Ararat in Victoria, Australia.

Shelley and Alan Green lovingly care for their hens,

which are given all the room they need to feed and forage

in the green pastures all day, and are kept safe at night by two

beautiful dogs.  The eggs are produced using state of

the art facilities, with humane methods and sustainable

farming practices.  They deliver their produce straight

to the urban seller, so there is no time lag with handling or

spoilage to quality.  And they taste great! 

Explore the link above to find out more about

Green Eggs! 

(Don’t forget to scratch the “x” for more details!)

(copyright Monika Roleff 2008.)

Slow Food Festival Initiative

On impulse attended a Slow Food Festival at Federation Square,

Victoria, with the family today.  My sister worked the Eureka Coffee

stand with her employer and his staff, and together formed a dedicated,

hard-working team servicing the crowds with sustainable capuccinos,

short blacks, and lattes all day.  We tried their coffee and the

flavour and quality was second to none.  Grown and produced in the beautiful

Byron Bay region of New South Wales, it is roasted on site at

Eureka, North Fitzroy, which makes it very local.  Add to that all

the other benefits involved in the making/production of it, the

“Slow Food” sustainability of it, it makes for a great coffee

experience.  Produce was available from all regions of

Australia: cheeses from Tasmania which we tried, all slowly aged;

a fruits/smoked meats/cheese “in season” platter with lovely

sour dough bread from Slow Food Melbourne, and a gorgeous

plate of freshly picked ripe figs from Slow Food New South Wales.  This

movement in food is supported by a large network of regular national

markets, forming the Australian Farmers’ Market Association.  It was

wonderful to enjoy eating fruit picked the day before, and the range

of product on show was wide and varied, from homestyle ice-cream,

to organic sausages, to seafood.  So the movement to slow food is

a style of eating that’s anything but boring, and it’s nice to just sit

and watch the crowds go by, busy swapping ideas on where they found what,

creating a wonderful community atmosphere, right in the heart of an

urban place. 

(copyright Monika Roleff 2008.)

Sustainable Logic - Kitchen Talk 3

The conclusion of the series about “Kitchen Literacy”, the book by

Ann Vileisis, hosted by Rebecca Gerendasy of

“Cooking Up A Story”, online.  Part 3 covers new ways

of thinking about shopping, food production, and changes

in thought about food for the future.   This is an excellent

series, which shows the new trending in sustainable food production,

and shopping habits around the globe.

(copyright Monika Roleff 2008.)

(copyright cooking up a story, 2008.)

Sustainable Logic - Kitchen Talk 2

Continuing the series on the book “Kitchen Literacy” by Ann Vileisis

on the history of food production and getting back to sustainable

ancestral roots in regard to what we eat.  This is part two of the

interview with Ann, part three to follow.  The series

is produced by Rebecca Gerendasy, from “Cooking Up

A Story” online, linked below.

(copyright Monika Roleff 2008.)

(copyright cooking up a story 2008.)

 

Sustainable Logic - Kitchen Talk 1

Ann Vileisis, food and environmental author, talks about writing “Kitchen Literacy” and restoring the connection to sustainability, by looking back at the handling of nutrition and food production from her local ancestors.  Here is a link to Part One of her dialogue on this subject, Part Two to follow:

This video posting was prompted by contact with Rebecca Gerendasy

from the wonderful American food resource,

Cooking Up a Story. 

Follow the link to find out more about her filming work,

and learn more about sustainable food logic.  Educating about

the value of natural food lore and keeping heritage alive is valuable and

worth following and knowing about for many reasons, not least for

its basic, tried-and-tested-through-time, logic.

Closer to Home:

More locally, the “connecting back to natural produce” theme reminds me of

my maternal grandparents’ unbroken connection with the land,

and domestic practices of sourcing out the best produce locally, keeping

an extensive kitchen garden, small farming with keeping chickens for eggs,

and cultivating fruit and citrus trees.  Their garden seemed endlessly

abundant, and when we would sadly have to go home after visiting

their rural area, our car would always be literally filled with

fresh produce from their garden.  My grandmother made her own

bread, assisted by her husband, her own butter, cakes, sweets and

biscuits.  She also followed the preserving calendar and bottled fruits

and made jam, all of which she shared with her large family.  It would be

a shame if these practices were not handed down and lost forever.   There

may be a lot of common sense in connecting back…

(copyright Monika Roleff 2008.)

(copyright cooking up a story, 2008.)