Sound Consumer archive
August 2009
Harvesting sunlight
Grass, cows and climate change
by Joel Huesby
Everything in life is driven by energy. Our machines — planes, boats, trains, cars, farm and construction equipment — all run on oil. We are driven, too, running on carbohydrates (sugars), fats and protein. Yet all oil and all the food that sustains us can be traced back to free energy from the sun.
Beefing Up the Palouse
by Maurice Robinette
Livestock often are vilified for producing more greenhouse gases than automobiles. What’s consistently ignored, however, is the failure of most research to distinguish between animals raised in confined feedlots and animals grazing on rangeland as nature intended in a holistic system.
Food safety at home
by Eli Penberthy, Associate Editor
Here’s a fact that may surprise you: 60 percent of the cases of foodborne illness originate in home kitchens! Fast food hamburgers contaminated with e-coli and peanut butter tainted with salmonella get the most press, but some of the most harmful bacteria fester at home.
Thinley reports from D.C.
PCC Fremont produce worker, Thinley Gyatso, says an amazing amount was accomplished in two days of lobbying in Washington, D.C. for Tibetan freedom. Thinley was one of 150 delegates from across the country who met with Senators Cantwell and Murray and other legislators.
Recipes from the August issue
Roasted Beet Summer Salad · Agua Fresca Cooler · Fruit Crisp with Cinnamon Crème Frâiche · Peach or Mango Sorbet
Important summer reading
by Goldie Caughlan, PCC Nutrition Education Manager
No, I don’t have a steamy romance novel or crime thriller to suggest. The summer reading I recommend will update you on important regional and federal legislation that could improve school food quality dramatically and foster healthier eating habits.
What's new in store — August 2009
We have all kinds of new products making their way to our shelves this month including gluten-free snacks made with whole grains; all-natural, hydrating sports drinks; and locally produced honey.
Notes from the Cellar
Mmmm, ahhhhh ... (burp)
by Jeff Cox, Beer and Wine Merchandiser
I can still taste it, that first, purloined sip, furtively gulped from my dad’s can of Olympia. A single, stolen swallow (... and a lot more). A strange, adult flavor that made my sweet-seeking little palate recoil, while leaving its indelible mark, planting a seed that would flower years later in an inexplicable, never-quite-satiated affinity for that hauntingly sweet bitterness.
Seasonal produce
Local, organic peaches
It’s all about flavor for Bob Berryman, whose tree-ripened organic peaches are a sweet pleasure in our August produce departments. At his Twin Spring Farms in Rice, Wash., Berryman waits to pick his peaches from the branch until they reach a level of maturation that won’t compromise flavor.
Choosing farms to save: the basics of good soil and water
by Melissa Campbell, Stewardship and Lands Associate
Quite often, the PCC Farmland Trust is asked about the criteria for projects. Are we interested in saving large or small farms? Do we have regions of priority? Are we interested in working on the east side or the west side of the mountains? To all of these, we answer yes.
Letters to editor
Member coupons · PCC Cooks · Holistic economics · Food Safety Enhancement Act · GM sugar beets · GMOs and vitamins · Pesticide use on oyster farms · Product questions · Teens like PCC, too · Election coverage
News bites
Agriculture and global warming · Consolidation of seed supply · Federal court upholds GM alfalfa ban · Judge rejects organic dairy lawsuits · Electric power lines affect cattle · Garden at Buckingham Palace · White tea might inhibit fat cells · Salt water added to chicken · Pesticides and Colony Collapse Disorder · Industry defends Bisphenol A
Your co-op
Talk to the Board · Election prizes awarded · Nominating committee searches for new candidates · Board report · Dear Members, · Next board meeting