Category: Newsletters

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Our Food System Is Broken

We care more about our air and water quality than we do the food we eat. Last time I checked, we need to breathe, drink and eat. My cynical side says, “This means the coal lobby isn’t as strong as the sugar lobby.”

The EPA is lowering the boom on coal, but the FDA and the USDA are doing the old “wink-wink” when it comes to our food. The American food supply has been coopted by the sugar and processed food industries, with the blessing of the FDA and the USDA. But what has been the result of this high carb, high sugar, low fat experiment? An unhealthy American population!

The only way we are going to change our personal health is by not buying corporate America’s food! Only by removing the profit from Coca Cola, Pepsi, Starbucks, General Mills, etc. will the health of America change. When we intentionally stop eating their processed “food” they will respond. Of course, first they will advertise more to promote “the benefits” of their products. Then they will lobby Congress to protect them from the consumer, but finally they will produce healthier and more nutritious processed foods to earn your business back. They will do this not because they love you or care about your health, but because their pocket book is hurting! It’s simple. NO SALES, NO PROFIT.

If we are going to effectively change our food system and take it back, we are going to have to do it one bite at a time, by saying “yes” to more organic fruits and vegetables, and better quality dairy, meat, and wild fish.

The easiest way to win this war on our health (waistline) is to not eat their processed sugar laden products! If we consciously choose to not eat their food, we will win this battle. It only takes a 5% shift in their sales and they will respond.

And do you know what else? If you cut back on processed foods (a.k.a., sugar foods), you will avoid eating GMOs.

And do you know what else? You will lose weight just by not eating processed foods.

And do you know what else? You will feel better (after a few days as your body detoxifies) because you are eating better.

WOW, am I ever fired up! If we cut out sugar, we change the food system for everyone, and we will feel better and healthier!

Give it a try this week. Intentionally cut out sugar. Your body will thank you.

Cheers to your health,

Tristan

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It is Getting Closer!

We are slowly working our way towards the starting line. We just planted some sugar snap peas that will be transplanted mid-March, we are finishing up on the last minute maintenance that needs to be done on our equipment, we are checking seed supplies, and we will be “pulling” soil samples in the next few weeks.

The soil sampling is important. It helps us monitor nutrients in our soil and know what organic nutrients we need to order for our crops. We also take leaf samples throughout the growing season to check how well the plants are absorbing the nutrients from the soil. Based on the soil and leaf tests, I will foliar feed my crops to give them some extra nutrition.

You might be saying to yourself that is a lot of “fussing” over nutrients. So what’s all the “fuss” over soil and plant health really about? It is about you! Growing food for you is a privilege, and I want the food I grow for you to help you live a vibrant and healthy life. And food grown without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides is better for you, the farmer, and the environment. But food grown with nutrition at its foundation is the prize! And that is what I grow for you – nutrient rich food. Bon Appétit!

But I have another prize for the next two weeks!

We are running a Share the Good Food campaign for the next two weeks.* We have teamed up with Theo Chocolate to offer a month’s worth of their 70% organic dark chocolate for every one of your friends who signs up for a box of good food. And as a thank you for referring your friend, I will send you a month of Theo dark chocolate with each of your deliveries, too. A month of free chocolate for you and your friends—now that is worth sharing!

*If a friend you refer signs up for delivery between 2/28-3/13, you will both receive a bar of chocolate with each of your deliveries that fall within the next four-week period, starting with when your friend signs up for delivery. The more friends you refer, the more chocolate you receive!

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Tristan

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Houston, We have a Problem

That is a classic line from the Apollo 13 movie, starring a very young Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon. I hear that line playfully bantered around a lot when there are minor nuisances or inconveniences. But in the movie, “Houston we have a problem” was referring to a calm and calculated response to a very serious situation.

As a parent, I feel like Washington, D.C., isn’t getting it.  Our nation’s health is spiraling out of control. America has a serious health crisis that is going to impact every area of our nation: health care, military, political, family, the environment and education. Since the 1970s, when Jane Fonda was encouraging us to “exercise,” to the “Biggest Loser” today, what has changed?

We have been encouraged to exercise, eat low fat, and eat lots of grains and carbs, regardless of where those calories are coming from. And what has been the direct result of following the recommendations to exercise, eat low fat and a grain-based diet? More childhood obesity, more cancer, more heart disease, more diabetes, more health issues.

Yes, Washington, we do have a problem! And your pandering to the food, farm and biotech lobbies is at the heart of it.

I believe the underlying issue is sugar! It is in practically everything. There are over 600,000 grocery items in our stores and 80% of them have sugar added to them. Sugar is in our cereals, our coffee, our sodas, our breads, and our ice cream. If a food is processed, some company is trying to add sugar to it.

I contend our nation would be a lot healthier (and skinnier) if we swore off sugar or at least 90% of it.

But here is where good health meets dark health. The grocery manufacturers of America like to sell groceries, and since 80% of their products have sugar they lobby to protect themselves and their constituents.

To complicate the matter, the sugar beet and corn farmers also have a stake in the fight because they grow the sugar for the grocery manufacturers. If Congress makes any meaningful change in legislation that would curb the use of sugar or call it out as a health issue, they will get an earful from these farmers. To complicate the issue even more, the farmer’s primary supplier to help them grow all that sugar is none other than Monsanto and other biotech companies who have shoved genetically modified technology down our throats.

And so it goes. Our senators and congress people have to stand up against the grocery manufacturers and the farm and biotech lobbies if they are going to make any meaningful food policy changes. Ironically, these lobbies also happen to be the same ones that spend millions of dollars to make sure that GMO labeling never gets a foothold.

This situation hasn’t changed for decades, and it doesn’t matter whether the Clintons, Bushes, or Obamas are in office or the Bushes or Clintons are in back in office. They didn’t improve our food when they had an opportunity and I sincerely doubt they will this time around either.

The only thing that is going to make a difference is not supporting that food system. That food system doesn’t care about your family’s health, they care about profits, and no sales equals no profit! The less we eat of their food the healthier our family will be.

Thanks for supporting a different food system. Let your friends know where you get your real food!

Real food grown here!

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Farmer Tristan

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Pacific Northwest Salmon

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest it would seem that a love of salmon would be in my DNA, but unfortunately I didn’t fall for the Omega-3-filled fish until adulthood. Now I look forward to its bright pink flesh and eagerly hope that an appreciation for our region’s mascot will become engrained in my children.

Why? Well, because first (and this is always my priority when it comes to food) it’s delicious, delicate in flavor, far less “fishy” tasting than other fish, and lends itself to a wide variety of ingredients (like my Thai take on Salmon Chowder in this issue’s recipe). Also, it’s incredibly nutritious, particularly if you enjoy wild salmon, which is lower in fat and calories than farmed salmon and is higher in iron, potassium, and zinc.rowing up in the Pacific Northwest it would seem that a love of salmon would be in my DNA, but unfortunately I didn’t fall for the Omega-3-filled fish until adulthood. Now I look forward to its bright pink flesh and eagerly hope that an appreciation for our region’s mascot will become engrained in my children.

In the summertime, when the grill is always at the ready, I love to slather my salmon with mayonnaise, brown sugar, salt, and a good bit of lemon. Now, I realize that that sort of treatment may negate all the health benefits of salmon, but those concerns melt away as the sugar caramelizes, the lemon brightens and the mayonnaise creates a rich sauce, coating the perfectly flaked salmon. This time of the year salmon makes a healthful addition to a hearty and warming soup.

Chowder isn’t often thought of as health food, but this version uses coconut milk as its base instead of cream and is scented with lemongrass, ginger, and lime leaves (lime zest works in a pinch if lime leaves are too hard to find). To put this soup over the top, we finish with a piece of salmon skin crisped in a hot skillet and seasoned with salt. The perfect crunch to this satisfying soup.

No matter the season, salmon is a great place to start for a simple, healthful, and delicious weeknight meal.

by Ashley Rodriquez
Chef, food blogger, & full-time mom

notwithoutsalt.com

 

THAI-STYLE SALMON CHOWDER WITH CRISPY SALMON SKIN

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 tomato, roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, large dice

2 stalks lemongrass, outer layer removed and cut into 3-inch pieces

10 kaffir lime leaves

1 quart chicken stock

1 can ( 13.5 ounces) coconut milk

8 ounces salmon, skin removed (but save for later), cut in 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

For serving: Cilantro Lime wedges Crisped salmon skin

Directions:

Set a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oil and heat until it starts to shimmer.

Sauté the mushrooms until deeply bronzed, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.

Stir in the tomato, bell pepper, lime leaves and lemongrass. Cook until the tomatoes soften and release their juice and the bell peppers start to wilt.

Add the chicken stock and coconut milk and bring the whole pot to a simmer. Reduce the heat to keep a steady simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the salmon, fish sauce and lime juice and cook for just a minute or two, until the salmon is just cooked. It will continue to cook with the residual heat so be mindful of that.

Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. I tend to like the soup very bright and sour so you may want to start with a bit less fish sauce and fresh lime juice.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. To crisp up the salmon skin add a small splash of oil to a large cast iron pan or skillet. Add the salmon skin to the pan set over medium high heat and cook until the sizzling steadies and decreases. Flip and do the same to the other side, about 3 minutes per side. Add a small pinch of salt to the skin. Cook until crisp.

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Meat – The Way It Was Meant To Be

A few years ago, I was invited by the director, Robert Kenner, to attend a screening of Food, Inc., in Los Angeles. This invitation was all thanks for my brother who filmed much of the movie. I jumped at the opportunity to see the film.

What struck me the most while viewing the film is that food works best if we let it do what it was created to do. Tomatoes left to ripen on the vine are sweeter, have a much greater nutritional value and a flavor that cannot even compare to the tomatoes that were plucked while still green and left to ripen on the truck while in transit. The same goes for cows.

Cows were created to eat grass. Their digestive systems were designed to consume grass and yet lately, due to ease, cost and control, many cows are being fed grain. Now we all know that grain, in and of itself, is not a bad thing, but when cows start eating something other than grass things start to go wrong.

As things have started to go wrong for cows because of their unnatural diet, science has solved the problem by creating antibiotics that combat the diseases that arise. Rather than solving the problem by changing their diet, which would eliminate the need for antibiotics, we are now consuming meat from “cows that are essentially being kept alive by drugs” (baronbeef.com).

So now that we got that out of the way, let’s focus on the benefits of grass-fed beef. For me the most important part is that it just plain tastes better. Richer, meatier and more complex in flavor. But there are other reasons as well. “The animal itself thrives because it is getting the food it was designed to eat and it converts that food to muscle and fat that is higher in minerals, vitamins, CLAs (conjugated linoleic acid) and Omega 3 fatty acids, and lower in cholesterol and fat” (baronbeef.com). Even though grass-fed beef isn’t injected with antibiotics you have a much lower risk of getting diseases associated with beef such as E-Coli and Mad Cow Disease.

To learn more about this and in general where our food comes from, I can’t recommend the film Food, Inc. enough. Also, any of Michael Pollen’s best-selling books, like the Omnivores Dilemma, provide a very thorough look into the world behind the food on our plate.

In the meantime, I highly encourage you to take advantage of this great opportunity to purchase and enjoy grass-fed beef. Not only can you eat it in good conscience but you will be thrilled with the wonderful taste that comes from cows that eat a diet they were created for.

by Ashley Rodriquez, Chef, food blogger, and full-time mom.

You can read more of her writings at www.notwithoutsalt.com

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Eating Healthy in the Midst of a Full Life

 

One of my favorite photos is of our kids in 2003 when we first moved to our Stanwood farm – crowbar in hand and ready for the remodel!

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Well, I guess you could say that a lot has changed in the past 12 years. Life is full, and so is our front porch!  More importantly, our hearts are full! We feel incredibly blessed. But, I have to admit that when juggling so much love, sometimes the simple day-to-day tasks can become overwhelming. One of the things that continue to be important to us is providing nourishing food for our growing family. Without determination and a plan, this can feel impossible. I have put together a list of a few things that we’ve done that have stood the test of time and helped us pursue healthy eating.

First of all, make sure “good” food enters the kitchen. Receiving a Box of Good is a practical and convenient first step. Besides produce, we also carry a wide array of healthy staples. Remember that when our foundation is good, we have something great to build on.

At the beginning of the week, or when you receive your produce, take a look and see what items are most perishable and should be used first and then plan your meals accordingly. Take 5 minutes each night and think about the next day’s meal. One of the biggest hindrances to eating healthy is running out of time at the end of a busy day. I like to think of creative ways to make my healthy food “fast food.” When you receive your Box of Good, plan to take 20-30 minutes to prepare your produce items for the week. This will reduce meal time stress and greatly decrease the prep time when it comes to actually making meals. This alone will help you and your family eat healthier.

*Take your lettuce and any greens that you have and wash them right away. Put the leaves in a salad spinner or dry thoroughly, and then store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

*Take your vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, celery and carrots, and wash them. Then, with a quality kitchen knife, chop them into bite-sized pieces and store in the refrigerator. They are ready to be snacked on with a good dip or thrown in a stir fry. What could be easier? This is fast food at its finest.

*Use your prepared veggies to make a quick sandwich, pita, or wrap. You can skip the bread and use the cleaned lettuce as a wrap itself.

*Experiment with homemade soups. When you order your grass-fed beef from us, make sure you request beef bones. Make a super nutritious broth! Add veggies to the broth that you may not otherwise use, and get all their health benefits. Then make your soups or stews ahead of time and they’ll be ready to eat on a hectic evening when you don’t have time to cook. Better yet, make extra and freeze.

*Find ways to sneak in veggies by grating zucchini or carrots and putting it in your tuna or egg sandwiches. Add bits of veggies to fried rice, pastas, meatloaf, or burgers. Keep trying new things. Don’t give up on picky eaters. Usually over time, taste buds change.

*When serving salad, serve it first, separately and then you know everyone has eaten their veggies. Experiment with homemade healthy dressings and find one that the kids like.

*Offer a choice for snacks, but keep them both healthy. Kids love choices.

*Know which fruit stores best in the refrigerator and which store best on the counter. Display counter fruit in a pretty bowl on the table and it’s sure to be one of the first things your kids ask for.

*If your bananas get over-ripe peel them and chop them into 1-inch rounds and freeze them. Use the frozen bananas for your smoothies or banana bread.

*Use fruit with yogurt to make smoothies. Buy or make cereals with less sugar and use your apples, pears, and bananas to sweeten your cereal. Chop up fruit and use as a topping over pancakes, and use less syrup. Add sliced bananas to your toast. Use fruit as a dessert or use it to make your desserts more nutritious.

Eating healthy in the midst of a busy schedule is obtainable and can be rewarding. Set your mind to it, make a plan and be creative.

Joelle

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Our Magnificent Starry Heavens

The other night our family dog, Bandit, was barking to beat the band. This is a new phenomenon. Usually things are pretty quiet on the farm, but something is triggering his need to bark. Maybe coyotes, as they do tend to howl—a lot—when the train is going by. Sometimes you would think they are right off the back porch. Naturally, Bandit started barking just as I was getting into that all important deep sleep.

The moment he begins barking I usually lie in bed, asking the Lord to quiet him down. The answer always seems to be “no.” Then I ask, “How come I am the only one in the house that hears him barking?” Of course this is a rhetorical question. Everyone else in the house knows that Dad is the one who gets up to make sure things are okay and to quiet the dogs. This is so ingrained into their psyche that, if for some unimaginable reason, I chose to not get up, they wouldn’t even know that Bandit had been barking all night!

I do like to sleep, but I also like to make sure that my neighbors can sleep too. Which is another reason I get up when the dog is barking. Do you know how cold it is outside at 2 a.m.? Cold. So I put on some sweats and a sweat shirt, grab a flash light, and head out towards the barking. I found Bandit out by the greenhouses, barking away. After calling him over and we walked back to the house. Even though he was 100 yards from the house, he technically was still in our yard – at least in his mind! I would consider that to be more of the farm and not the yard!

One benefit of getting up to quiet the dog, even though it is freezing outside, is the quietness of the moment (after Bandit quits barking). In that stillness, I look up and the sky is full of stars. I see the Big Dipper shining bright, bold, and magnificent. As much as I would love to still be asleep, in that moment I stand there mesmerized by the night sky—its beauty, its depth, its brilliance. I soak it all in and say, “Thank you Lord for letting me see the stars tonight.”

I head back in, but since I am awake I thank the Lord again for providing me with some great material for this newsletter, which I finished at 3:23 a.m. Good night.

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Farmer Tristan

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Enjoying the Simple Pleasure of Cooking

It’s a new year and once again many of us find ourselves with renewed goals for 2016. Many opt for the traditional resolutions of losing weight or exercising more after overindulging during the holidays. This year I have decided to take it a step further and apply a minimalist approach to my eating and lifestyle habits.

I recently read an article that alluded to the fact the minimalists like to say that they’re living more meaningfully and more deliberately, and that getting rid of most material possessions in their lives allows them to focus on what’s important: family, friends, hobbies, travel, experiences, etc. This article got me thinking on how it would apply to our everyday lives, cooking and eating.

We live in a society of the “eternal holiday.” After the New Year sale, there’s Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day… and shortly after we are back to Thanksgiving and Christmas again. For each holiday, stores have specials and themed products designed for us to over-shop and then we hold onto these things because we think they’re going to be useful in some hypothetical future that does not actually exist. Naturally, we end up with more than we need.

My curiosity led me to different blogs and articles, but one in particular grabbed my attention. Joshua Becker, from Becoming Minimalist, wrote A Simple Guide to Enjoy Cooking. “Enjoy” being the key word:

1. Clear your kitchen counters. A clean, uncluttered kitchen counter is refreshing. It communicates calm and order. It saves time and promotes cleanliness.
2. Cook healthy foods. There is a pleasant satisfaction that comes from preparing healthy food for you and your family. Its importance in the process cannot be overstated. It provides valuable motivation and incentive for cooking your own meals. And the positive benefits of cooking a healthy meal stretch far beyond the dinner table.
3. Use fresh ingredients. Replace dried spices with fresh ingredients (onion, garlic, parsley, basil, limes, lemons), the flavor of meals improve dramatically.
4. Own a sharp knife. Learn how to use it. It does not have to be expensive. And once you learn how to use it properly, preparing meals becomes significantly easier and more enjoyable.
5. Start with foods/recipes you enjoy. Begin by preparing meals you look forward to eating. And incorporate the same philosophy into cooking all new dishes at home.
6. Be confident. You can do this. Step up to the cutting board, the oven, or the stovetop with full confidence in your abilities. An anxious spirit does not enjoy creating. And unfortunately, an anxious spirit rarely succeeds. To enjoy cooking, you’ll need to convince yourself that you are able to do it. Eventually, a delicious meal and corresponding smile from your table guests will do the trick. But even before they do, believe in yourself. You will still make mistakes, but that’s okay. Just remember, the biggest mistake you can make is not believing in yourself.
7. Value presentation. There is an old saying among chefs that goes like this, “We eat with our eyes first.” Research and experience validates their claims. Food that looks good is more likely to taste good. Take some extra time to serve your food in a visually appealing presentation—even if you are eating alone. You’ll always enjoy it more.
8. Appreciate the eating. Be mindful of the cleaning. If you have a family, create the space and culture in your home that values eating together. For many families, this is not possible at every meal, but that does not mean space can’t still be created for some family meals together. You may need to establish some margin or get creative, but the more time spent together around the dinner table, the better. Appreciate the importance of sitting down long enough to enjoy your food. And likewise, learn to appreciate the act of cleaning up afterwards. It does not have to be seen as a chore if approached with the right mindset.
9. Record your favorite recipes. I store a small, index card box in our pantry. Inside, I keep all the successful recipes I have discovered over the years. And it has been an important step in increasing my enjoyment of cooking because the true value of the black box is that I have a wide selection of family-favorite recipes right at my fingertips.

Happy Cooking 2016!

Sara Balcazar-Greene (aka. Peruvian Chick)
Peruvian Food Ambassador
peruvianchick.com
instagram.com/peruvianchick
facebook.com/theperuvianchick

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Grandparents

I heard John Maxwell share this story when he was talking about grandchildren. He was talking about how he is convinced that intelligence skips a generation, because his grandkids are considerably more intelligent than his children ever were.

Anyway, John’s son was in the audience and just after the session ended his son met him backstage. John of course reassured him, “That was all fun and games and, of course, nothing was meant by those comments.” But his son stopped him, “Dad, I think you might be right.” At this point John is looking a little perplexed. And then his son elaborated, “Grandpa and I had a similar conversation last week about you!”

Now that Joelle and I have three grandchildren, this Christmas is going to resemble some of those Christmases of old. For me, having grandchildren focuses me on the future, and all those same hopes and dreams we had for our children are coming forth again in this next generation.  After all, Christmas is about the birth of a baby named Jesus.

When I hold one of our grandbabies, life just slows down and a whole bunch of “really” important things get put on the back burner. I just look into their eyes (while I am doing the Grandpa two step) and pray for them, connect with them and let them know they are loved and I am going to be here for them. Always.12313729_1012241812183156_6440637861751532491_n

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Tristan Klesick