Update on Food Safety Bill

I know many of us have been waiting with baited breath to see how the food safety bill drama would play out. I just received an e-mail from the Alliance for Natural Health that I thought you might like to read:


Dear Lisa,

The Senate’s controversial FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) now appears to be dead in the water!

As we reported to you yesterday, the Senate passed its version of the Food Safety bill by a margin of 73 to 25, and sent it on to the House of Representatives for approval. Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) had previously agreed to accept the Senate’s bill in place of the House’s version, already approved, so this approval was expected to be pro-forma.

But it turns out that Section 107 of the Senate bill contains a revenue-raising (i.e., taxing) provision. And such a provision is unconstitutional: “All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives,” according to Article I, Section 7, of the Constitution. Because the Senate violated the funding origination clause, the House has implemented a procedure known as “blue slipping” to block the bill, keeping it out of consideration and sending it back to the Senate.

The only possible “quick fix” would be a unanimous consent agreement in the Senate to strike that revenue-raising provision from the bill—but Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has already stated that he will oppose, so unanimity will be impossible. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is now faced with some tough choices: spend a huge amount of time all over again to deal with this (which is unlikely in a Lame Duck Congress, especially considering how controversial the bill is); or do nothing, and allow the bill to die at the end of this Congress. This will mean a new Food Safety Bill will be introduced next year—but next year’s Congress will be very different from the current one, so we expect that the bill will look very different, and could be much more favorable to the natural health community.

As always, we will keep you posted on any new developments.
Sincerely,The Alliance for Natural Health USA

Black Bean "Burgers"

I'm a sucker for a good burger. So's my husband. We like 'em with lots of dill pickles and...cheese? Yes, please. But we can't afford to buy all the meat we'd like to eat, so one day my hubby got a wild hair and decided to make himself some black bean burgers. (He was inspired by a menu item from Chili's way. back. when. that is no longer available. Of course.) He did a little recipe research, gleaned a few generalities, and then set about dumping ingredients into a bowl. (He's not much of a recipe guy. Measuring spoons? What's that?) But I'm here to tell you he performed some magic in the kitchen that day. Pure magic. And while black bean burgers actually taste nothing like a BURGER, they are exceptional. And they are affordable!! (They are maybe even a little addicting. So don't say I didn't warn ya.)

Here's our version:

1 (15 oz.) can of black beans (or the equivalent of soaked and cooked dried black beans)
Green olives (a handful or so), chopped
Feta cheese (maybe 3 oz.), crumbled
Rolled oats (Have them soaked and ready to make this meal more nutritious)
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
Couple "bams" of homemade "Essence of Emeril"
Whatever else you'd like to throw in there
Buns and burger fixins

You'll need some sort of food chopper/processor. I start with my olives. Just chop 'em up and set aside.

Next I process my beans. A teeny, little bit of the cooking liquid will help the beans process smoother and quicker. They don't have to be perfectly smooth. Lumps are perfectly acceptable!

Transfer your beans and olives to a mixing bowl and start adding stuff. I've never once measured the oats, so I apologize that I can't help you there. Maybe 1/2 to 1 cup??? Ehh...just eye it!  :)

We luuuuuuuuv Feta!!

Sometimes I sneak in a shredded veggie.

You'll end up with a goopy mess that looks anything but appetizing. But hang in there...

You'll want it to be pretty thick. Oh, yeah!! An egg will help it all bind together a little better. Once your griddle is preheated, oil it (olive oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee, etc.--I use coconut oil.) and start scooping out your burgers.

You'll need to use the back of your spoon to sort of flatten and shape your burgers while ON the griddle. (You can't pat them out ahead of time the way you do beef.) As you can see, the burger on the left is shaped, while the burger on the right just got plopped down.

Flip 'em when they stop sizzling and are nicely browned.

I like to serve mine with mayonnaise (make it lacto-fermented if ya can), tomatoes, lettuce, and sliced raw cheese.

Ain't my hubby an amazing man? This is one of my absolute favorite meals. And it's kid-friendly, too!

This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday and Real Food Wednesday.


Lori

Baby's First Food: Coconut Milk

One of the main components of coconut milk is a medium chained fatty acid, which is also true of breast milk. This makes coconut milk an easily digested first food. Babies and children need lots and lots of healthy, saturated fats for their rapidly growing brains.



I scooped out the creamiest (solid) from the top of the can and gave Caroline (almost 7 months) about a teaspoon, a bit at a time.



She loved it!!

Thanksgiving WAPF Style

People often have trouble reconciling “healthy eating” with holidays. With all the indoctrination we have heard equating healthy to low fat, low salt, unsatisfying “rabbit food,’ I think it is hard for most people to imagine a tasty, satisfying AND healthy holiday meal.

Yesterday at our house we did enjoy such a meal. It was certainly not low fat, low taste, or low labor. I spent many hours in the kitchen in meal preparation, but all the work seemed worth it when I watched my family's enjoyment. We all would have to admit to eating too much of it, but it was nice to know that the food was not just tasty but also nourishing.

So what was on the Lipe Thanksgiving menu?

Local pastured turkey – brined, rubbed in herb paste (made with fresh herbs and coconut ghee) and roasted. This was the best and juiciest turkey we have ever had. Truly amazing!

Giblet gravy – made with turkey giblets (heart, gizzard, and liver), the broth from cooking the giblets, homemade cream of mushroom soup (local mushrooms, chicken bone broth, fresh milk, seasonings), and chopped boiled eggs.

Green bean casserole – frozen organic green beans, homemade cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions (made by dipping onion pieces in egg then flour and frying in bacon grease).

Sweet potatoes – local sweet potatoes boiled and peeled, then mashed with coconut oil, maple syrup, a little salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. (Marshmallows from Whole Foods added to the top for the occasion. I haven’t figured out how to make healthy marshmallows.)

Dressing – dehydrated homemade sprouted wheat bread mixed with eggs, fresh herbs, and chicken bone broth.

Layered salad – local organic lettuce, frozen organic peas, celery, green onions, pastured pork bacon, fresh grated parmesan, homemade fermented mayo mixed with a little sucanat.

There were a few items that appeared on the Lipe Thanksgiving table that came already prepared (besides the marshmallows) – organic cranberry sauce, pie crusts (which were rather disappointing) and canned pumpkin for the pies. The pies were made with fresh cream and maple syrup (rather than sweetened condensed milk) and topped with organic vanilla ice cream. I prefer fresh whipped cream as a topping, but fresh cream is a scarce commodity. (Whipped cream with maple syrup will absolutely always be my pumpkin pie topping once I procure my own cow.)

I enjoy the challenge of making as much food as I can from scratch, but I understand that everyone’s idea of a holiday is not all day in the kitchen, so if your meal was less homemade than mine, it is certainly no cause for guilt. One thing I do hope is that everyone of you got to enjoy the best part of Thanksgiving -- spending time being thankful with friends and family.
Lisa

UPDATE: S. 510 Food Safety Bill

I received the following e-mail from the Weston A. Price Foundation today:

UDATE ON FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION
Agribusiness shows its true colors!

Last week, the Senate voted 74-25 to move to consideration of S.510, the Food Safety Modernization Act. After thirty hours of debate and behind-the-scenes negotiations, the Senators released a final Managers Amendment that includes a compromise version of the Tester-Hagan amendment. Thank you to all our members who have called and written over the last several months to help protect local foods!

But even though an agreement was reached on the Tester-Hagan amendment last week, the issue is still not over. The final vote on the bill has been delayed until Monday, November 29, due to disagreements over amendments relating to the health care bill and a ban on earmarks. And, in the meantime, Agribusiness has shown its true colors.

For over a year, the big Agribusiness trade organizations have supported passage of S.510. From Agribusinesss perspective, the bill was a win-win: they could absorb the costs of the regulations because of their size; theyd gain good PR for supposedly improving food safety practices; and the competition created by local food producers, which is rapidly growing, would be crushed by the regulatory burdens.

This was only speculation until now. But when the Senators agreed to include the Tester-Hagan amendment in the bill, to exempt small-scale direct-marketing producers from some of the most burdensome provisions, twenty Agribusiness trade organizations fired off a letter stating that they would now oppose the bill.

The letter from the Agribusiness groups states: [B]y incorporating the Tester amendment in the bill, consumers will be left vulnerable to the gaping holes and uneven application of the law created by these exemptions. In addition, it sets an unfortunate precedent for future action on food safety policy by Congress that science and risk-based standards can be ignored.
http://www.unitedfresh.org/assets/files/Letter%20on%20Passage%20of%20S%20%20510%20and%20Tester%20Amendment.pdf

What science and risk? No one has produced any data or evidence of any widespread problems caused by local producers and marketed directly to consumers. All of the major foodborne illness outbreaks have been caused by products that went through the long supply chains of Agribusiness.Agribusinesss real concern about the Tester-Hagan amendment isnt food safety, but the precedent set by having Congress recognize that small, direct-marketing producers are different, and should be regulated differently than large Agribusinesses.

Agribusiness is trying to convince the Senators to pull the Tester-Hagan amendment back out. While the amendment is currently part of the Managers Package the amended version of the bill agreed to by six bipartisan sponsors nothing is certain until the actual vote.

ACTION TO TAKE

This Thanksgiving week, please take a moment to call or email your Senators to tell them to hold firm on KEEPING the Tester-Hagan amendment part of the bill.

You can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or go to www.senate.gov to find their website (if the phone lines are busy, the best way to reach them is through the Contact Page on their website)

Lisa

Linky Love

Looking for real food to take to a party?  I like spinach balls.  If you're staying near a freezer, these Peppermint Pattie Coconut Bark (and Almond Joy version) are always a crowd pleaser.  Not to mention you can sneak in some healthy coconut oil.

Video:  How to Make Gravy the Traditional Way

While not all real food, there are some good holiday recipes found at A Year of Slow Cooking (Crock-Pot).

Get more bone broth in your family by making nutritious soup.  Feeling under the weather?  Make a Simple Chicken Noodle Soup.  Butternut squash soup is one of my fall favorites. This week I'm making Garam Masala Lentil with Coconut Milk Soup with broth instead of water - YUMMO.

I want to try this: Cider Braised Kale with Cherries.

For Thanksgiving this year, I'm going to my parents' house.  Last year Hubby and I hosted college students and here's how I decorated the tables and the menu - fun and frugally.

Gardening: think about building a cold frame now for spring seedlings.

-Julie
(I'm writting less because our house was broken into and the computer stolen.  I'm using Hubby's computer when I can.)

"Food Safety Bill": S.510

Many of you have been e-mailing me about S.510, a very dangerous (and expensive) food bill which was moved yesterday to the Senate floor for voting. I have also been getting e-mails from organizations concerned about our right to choose our own food, our local farmers, and out of control government spending. It seems that every organization I have any contact with is extremely concerned about the ramifications of this bill. I have written 2 previous posts about S.510, and am encouraging you once again to contact Senators Lincoln and Prior regarding this bill. Below are the details from the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

CALL Your SENATORS ASAP

Implore Them to Reject S.510

S.510 presents a major threat to the local food movement, States' autonomy to regulate food, and America's ability to be self-sufficient in food production. S.510 will significantly increase the power of FDA, an agency which has stated on public record that the American people have no ''fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health" and "do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish".

S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 needs to be stopped!
Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121; ask to be connected to your Senator's office.

OR

Go to http://www.congress.org/ and enter your zip code on the right side under "Get Involved" and click "Go".

Click on your Senators' names then click the "Contact" tab to get the office phone number(s). Clearly state that you are calling about S510, the Food Safety bill. Ask for your Senator to Vote Against S.510. Be sure to give your Zip Code.

If you get an answering machine, leave a brief message and immediately call another office.

Ask Friends & Family to Call, too!

WHY AMERICANS NEED TO TAKE ACTION

S.510 will expand FDA's jurisdiction over intrastate commerce and impose one-size-fits-all regulations that will make it difficult for many small businesses to survive. (See Talking Points at the end.)

How bad can a federal food safety bill be? Let me count the ways! Better yet, let Senator Coburn give you a short video tutorial on the underlying problems with S.510.

FDA's failure to exercise its current powers hardly justifies rewarding the agency with expanded authority in the aftermath of the egg recall and peanut butter fiasco.

Moreover, FDA has proven itself untrustworthy to operate in the best interest of the American public as clearly seen in allowing the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in animals and its lax policy regarding genetically modified foods.

Congress needs to get the message: Solve the real food safety problems--the centralized food distribution system and imported foods--and not regulate our local food sources out of business.

Go to www.farmtoconsumer.org/stopS510 to use the online "Reject S.510 Petition" to send a live email to your Legislators and local newspaper editor.

Tell your Senators to protect local foods and vote against S.510.

TALKING POINTS

1. FDA has more than adequate powers under existing law to ensure food safety and effectively deal with foodborne illness outbreaks. FDA has power to inspect, power to detain product and can readily obtain court orders to seize adulterated or misbranded food products or enjoin them from being sold. The problem isn't that FDA needs more power; it's that FDA does not effectively use the power it currently has.

2. S.510 will give FDA extensive power to regulate food in intrastate commerce; state and local governments are more than capable of handling any problems related to food in intrastate commerce. All the major outbreaks of foodborne illness involve either imported food or food in interstate commerce.

3. S.510 will hurt our ability as a nation to be self-sufficient in food production; it has more lenient inspection requirements for foreign than domestic producers creating an unfair advantage for food imports. Giving an advantage to foreign producers will only increase the amount of food imported into this country that does not meet our domestic standards. S.510 does not address food security--the ability of a country to produce enough food to meet its own needs.

4. S.510 will provide a competitive advantage to industrial food producers--the sector of the food system causing most of the food safety problems; the bill will impose burdensome regulations on many small businesses, a number of whom won't have the economies of scale to comply with S.510's requirements.

5. S.510 does nothing to address many significant food safety problems in this country, such as those resulting from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and various contaminants (e.g., BPA, pesticides, herbicides, etc.).

Lisa

Baby's First Food

It's not just chocolate - but chocolate fermented cod liver oil.







She liked it until she dropped the spoon. I only gave her enough to lick and make a mess.



Think this will hamper future chocolate cravings?

Last Market Day in WLR

Monday from 2-5pm will be the last farmers market for the season. Stop and buy something tomorrow at the corner of Napa Valley and Hinson in the PA parking lot.

Here's what you could buy:

Barnhill Orchards: eggs, frozen peas and strawberries, sweet potatoes, pie pumpkins, turnip and mustard greens, turnip bottoms, kimchee, broccoli, head and leaf lettuce, and Chinese cabbage

North Pulaski Farms: Butterhead lettuce, Romaine lettuce, red & green bell peppers, bok choy, cucumbers and the last of our yellow summer squash.

Thanks to everyone who patronized the market this summer and we look forward to next year.

Lunch Idea

For some reason, my son likes carrots in this shape.