What the World Eats

I want this book!

Check out the pics here.

Don't you? At the very least you can get some perspective on food costs. And, of course, some incredible ingredients that are very inspiring! But some families have sadly fallen for the quick-fix-tummy-filling-bad-for-you-pseudo-food that's become so popular in the past few decades.

What's the deal?

The Green Guide

I recently discovered National Geographic's Green Guide and absolutely love the Food section. I actually spent some time reading the article on Plastic Containers and really liked the section about the Environmental Impact plastics have. As a consumer, I want to make the right choices for my family and my hard-earned cash. One of those choices is to reduce my own personal environmental footprint! It isn't very difficult if you take some time to become an aware consumer. So, this week I will check out the best plastic container options for my household and make a list on what products are the best choices for us. Later on, when we need to get some new containers, we won't spend hours looking at products and wondering which ones are the best choice: we will just take our list and stick to it!

Navajo Food and Old Seeds

Blue corn is a common Native American (by American i do not mean from the USA but refer to the American Continent as a whole) food. In Central Mexico, it is eaten steamed with just some lime and salt or made into dough with which blue tortillas, and other wonderful delicacies, are made.

Recently, Education Curator Char Kruger showed how to make Navajo blue corn mush at the
Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Arizona (read more here). It reminds me very much of traditional corn dishes made in Mexico. So, I went searching for more traditional Native American recipes and found a nice site. Check it out here.

With so many foods being replaced by industrial products it is good to know that some people out there still are interested in traditional cooking and unadulterated ingredients. I have just read an interesting article in Swedish Svenska Dagbladet on the increasing popularity of 'old' vegetable seeds. It seems that many Foodies are trying their green thumbs out and are planting their very own organic greens and maintaining biodiversity as well. For more info (in Swedish) visit this website. Or go to the Bioheritage information page in English.

I have spent the last two seasons learning how to grow food. This year we succeeded with broccoli, spinach, zucchini, lots of different herbs (mint, lemon balm, cilantro), and actually were able to pick a few raspberries. I will return to the topic as soon as I decide what to plant this year.