Weekend Reading

Reading


Genetically-modified milk? What will they think of next. Read more here. For some more background on how GM foods are both dangerous and pervasive, check out this post on La Vida Locavore.

The Jenny-0 Turkey Store announced a recall of certain turkey burgers sold in retail outlets after confirming they were responsible for a salmonella outbreak. Jenny-O also process USDA commodity ground turkey for the school lunch program - although there are no reports that turkey sent to shcools was affected.

I've actually run across a recipe for Broccoli and Cheetos in not one but two magazines touting 'gourmet' junk food.  The backlash against the real food movement shouldn't start quite this early.  Don't interpret the link as a recommendation. More like watching a train wreck.

More school gardens are on their way via USDA pilot projects.  Our school has plans to add a hoop house to the "kindergarden" this year.

The WSJ ran an article this week on "the new power lunch" - brown bagging it executive style.

Shopping

The Environmental Working Group has great tips on choosing personal care products and how to avoid ingredients are bad for you.

Things to Do

You can still submit comments on the new rules for nutritional standards for school lunches under the re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act - see http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FNS-2007-0038-0001. OR - the Center for Science in the Public Interest makes it even easier to comment - they have drafted a letter for you to help you ask that school lunches includes more fruits and vegetables in greater variety and more whole grains among other things.  For more background on the fight over the new regs, read Education Week's latest.


Long Island Small Farm Summit is next Friday, April 15 including workshops on school and community gardens, field to table and other farming and sustainable agriculture initiatives here on Long Island.

The new Live Island Cafe in Huntington is running raw cooking classes.

Old Bethpage Restoration Village has "History Alive" Sunday this weekend with hands-on demonstrations. The village is also the site of a sustainable agriculture project.