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The Pasture Post: Vol. I, Num. III
In this Issue
 News
A Quick Update
Something Moopheus This Way Comes
Special Features
It's That Time of Year...Almost: A Holiday Reminder
A Ham for Holidays Past and Present
From Fable to Plate, A Closer Look at Goose
Nog, Grog, and Eggnog!
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Lamb
A Very Sustainable Chanukah
Featured Partner: American Grassfed Association
News
A Quick Update
It may seem premature, but Seasons Greetings! This is the last newsletter before the holiday season officially begins, so, appropriately enough, this edition is all about that special time of year and, of course, the food that comes with it.
But first, a quick update. Since the last edition of The Pasture Post an entirely new category has been added to the Eat Well Guide - Inns and Hotels. All listings (currently 75 in total) under this category feature some type of lodging--bed and breakfasts, cabins, resorts, hostels, etc.--where sustainable cuisine is made available to overnight guests. The bulk of the listings are actually on-farm bed and breakfasts, or as many like to call them, farmstays. The farmstays are truly unique as not only do guests have prime access to fresh, clean, wholesome food, but they also get spectacular views of how a small, sustainable farm really works and they sometimes even get to help out with the chores.
And, for those of you planning winter vacations, a good number of the featured inns are located throughout the northeast, an ideal location for a snowy, hot-chocolate-sipping, sitting-by-the-fire kind of getaway.
If you'd like to take a look at all of inns currently listed in the guide, please visit the advanced search page, select "Inns and Hotels" and click search.
Something Moopheus This Way Comes
It's official. There's going to be a Meatrix sequel. Slated for release in March 2006, the online film will feature the adventures of Moopheus, Leo, and Chickity in their continued fight to put an end to the factory farming system and promote sustainable agriculture. Prepare yourselves. This one's going to be big.
While the film will definitely be the centerpiece, the sequel will offer much more than a movie. As we are constantly looking for ways to get more people involved in the sustainable food movement, we plan to include more interactive features with the sequel, including a Meatrix blog and discussion forum. Be sure to drop by both, post your comments, and become a part of the growing community that Moopheus built!
In the meantime, don't forget to check out the Sustainable Table blog for news, updates, and general insights into the sustainable food movement.
Special Features
It's That Time of Year...Almost
If the holidays are just around the corner then Thanksgiving is already on the front porch!
The time to order your heritage turkey is now. Most heritage turkey farmers begin taking orders in the summer and many sell out by early fall. But there's still time! In the past month we've added a handful of heritage turkey producers to the Eat Well Guide who still have birds available. Chances are there are still some birds out there.
Search the Eat Well Guide for the heritage turkey farmer closest to you. If you can't find one in your area, or if everyone's already sold out, then consult Heritage Foods USA, a company that brings hard to find, sustainably-raised heritage foods with superior taste directly to American homes for holidays and special occasions.
While it is the most popular dish, turkey does not have exclusive rights to the dinner table during Thanksgiving and the holidays. There are other options, including goose, ham, and lamb, all of which were just as popular as turkey in their day and in certain parts of the world are still considered a seasonal staple.
Read on to learn more about each of these dishes...
A Ham for Holidays Past and Present
Like so many Christmas traditions, the ceremonial Christmas ham may be rooted in ancient pagan rituals that predate Christianity. Boar was a requisite ingredient in the Scandinavian celebration of Yule, the winter solstice "blot" (a deity-themed pep rally), that customarily featured a sacrifice to gods and elves. During Yule, Norse and Germanic peoples sacrificed and ate a hog in honor of the fertility god, Freyr, the sword-wielding arbiter of peace and pleasure who was usually depicted walking alongside a rather substantial boar.
A similar swine-centered sacrifice also marked the winter solstice celebration of Saturnalia in ancient Rome. During Saturnalia, which was observed from December 17th to December 23rd, Romans slaughtered a hog in honor of the god Adonis who died at the tusks of a wild boar and was believed to have been born at some point around the solstice.
In either case, it is assumed that rather than eliminating or suppressing these pagan practices and symbols, Christian missionaries simply allowed them to continue so long as pagan spirituality was sublimated into a celebration of God. Thus, Freyr's boar became Christ's ham.
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
From Fable to Plate, A Closer Look at Goose
Before turkey became the bird of choice for Christmas dinner, there was goose. For years goose dominated the table, particularly in northern Europe where it was not only viewed as a delicious dish, but a valued farm commodity. Geese provided feathers for down, quills with which to write and feather arrows, and grease that could be used to make poultices, waterproof leather, and protect animal ears, hooves, and paws from the cold.
Aside from being an animal of such great utility, geese were oftentimes lauded by spiritual leaders for their tendency to pair-bond and breed for life, thus proving that monogamy was a perfectly natural convention. In actuality, geese do break off into breeding pairs in the wild (the bond tends to be rather strong and can last for years), but in domestic flocks larger than twenty, they frequently tend to mate randomly with multiple partners.
With such great social and economic applicability, it's no wonder that geese became a mainstay of myth, fable, and legend in so many cultures.
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Lamb
Lamb is often overlooked in America as a delicacy or even a standard component of a well-balanced meal. Although a popular dish in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions of the world, for some reason it never caught on in the West. Some believe that because some Eastern and Middle Eastern societies have forbidden meats such as pork or beef, lamb was a readily available alternative and thus became part of many holidays, including Ramadan, Hanukkah and some Easter traditions.
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
Nog, Grog, and Eggnog!
Of the many foods associated with the holidays, few are as tied to the season as eggnog. Other traditional staples like lamb, turkey, goose, and ham are eaten year-round or at least they can be. Granted, one can always make homemade eggnog in July, but for the most part, eggnog is rarely produced commercially outside of the final two months of the year. The thick, milky beverage materializes around mid-November, hangs around until New Years, and then ducks away as quickly as it came, not to be whipped up and sprinkled with nutmeg again for at least another ten months.
Eggnog belongs to the winter, or at least its onset. Rich and heavy with froth, foam, cream, and--depending on the recipe--spirits, the beverage is a soft insulator against the cold. Appropriately enough, it seems that eggnog's ancestors were concocted to serve that very purpose and so offset the arrival of winter and its attendant weather-related infirmities.
Eggnog is largely believed to be a descendant of posset, a sugar-and-spice, hot milk punch curdled with wine or beer. Popular during Medieval times, especially amongst the nobility and upper class (in the absence of refrigeration only wealthy estates had access to fresh milk), warm posset was administered to those suffering from insomnia and minor illnesses, particularly the common cold. Posset developed into "caudle" over time, as grains, "gruel," and eventually eggs were added to the mixture as thickening agents and to increase the beverage's nutritional value. Eggnog's predecessors were, in essence, winter tonics.
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
A Very Sustainable Chanukah
This year, beginning on December 25, Jews across the world will gather with family and friends to celebrate the eight nights of Chanukah.
A festive holiday of blessings, remembrance and games, Chanukah commemorates the religious and military victory of ancient Jewish heroes, as well as a subsequent miracle. Upon reclaiming their ransacked temple, the victorious soldiers discovered only a small amount of oil to light the candles with. Expected to run out after one night, the same small amount of oil kept burning for eight nights - hence, the modern eight-night holiday.
Like so many communal gatherings, food plays an integral part to today's festivities, with plates usually covering the dining room table! Chanukah foods vary widely from country to country, and even from family to family, so the possibilities are endless. Whatever the menu, however, the holiday provides an ideal opportunity to look beyond the supermarket for ingredients.
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
Featured Partner: American Grassfed Association
Each newsletter will run a feature on an Eat Well Guide partner organization. Eat Well Guide partners are those organizations that have helped bring exposure to the guide and make it as thorough, up-to-date, and extensive as possible.
The featured partner for this issue is American Grassfed Association.
Founded in 2003, American Grassfed Association (AGA) represents all species of true Grassfed producers. Our website gives our statement of principles and a list of our producer members. These hard working men and women produce a large range of products that are locally grown, humanely raised and good for you!
One thing we find ourselves explaining is the difference between Grassfed and organic. This year will be the year we connect with the consumer and explain the difference. We are currently working on our own set of standards, so when consumers see the AGA logo, they will be assured that their products are American Grassfed.
We spend a good amount of time dealing with governmental issues, such as confinement, humane treatment, and country or origin labeling, as well as the legal definition of "Grassfed."
We also focus on consumer education -- helping the consumer understand why Grassfed is good for them and the environment. These efforts have done much to connect consumers with our producers.
AGA currently offeres three levels of membership: Producer, Processional, and Private.
AGA's annual conference will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, July 20-22, 2006. It will be a gathering of producers, scientists, researchers and consumers. Details on the event will be posted on our website in early 2006.
www.americangrassfed.org or (303) 243-4300
To view a complete listing of Eat Well Guide partner organizations, please click here.
Happy Holidays!
From all of us at the Eat Well Guide, have a safe and happy holiday season and to our American users, have a great Thanksgiving! We'll be back in March. |
