A Call to Arms

Last week, I finally watched "Food, Inc." When I cracked open my Netflix, I had no idea that this movie would very literally change my life.

Food, Inc. opened my eyes to the horror show that is our commercial food industry. Consider these facts:

• 70 percent of our food is genetically modified, yet there are no regulations requiring genetically modified foods to be labeled.
• Four multinational companies control meat production in our country. The conditions our cows, pigs and chickens are raised in is horrific. I won't mention the conditions workers are subject to.
• We're breeding "super" chickens, using a mix of antibiotics and steroids. What once took 90 days to grow, can now be accomplished in 40 days. What that means for the average consumer is that they are eating meat that is pumped full of antibiotics. That's not good for you.
• Cows are being fed corn, which is not part of their normal diet. Cows that are fed corn tend to have higher levels of e coli in their stomachs. Grass fed beef is a better choice, as its a part of a cow's natural diet.
• A company is proudly marketing a safer meat that is treated with ammonia. Ammonia.
  

Before watching Food, Inc., I thought I was doing a lot of things right. I have two raised beds that are growing tomatoes, peppers, onions and rhubarb. I have pots of basil, oregano and parsley. I am part of a community share at Tait Farms, a local organic farm. I supplement my garden and my share by purchasing fruits and sweet corn at Harner Farms, another local farm.

What I realized after watching this movie is that there is so much more that I need to be doing. I am resistant to a lot of antibiotics, as a result of a nasty bout with tonsilitis in college and too many cases of sinusitis to count. As a result, I try to take antibiotics only in a worst case scenario. Little did I know that I'm consuming meat with antibiotics in it every time I purchase meat from the grocery store.

I'm allergic to wheat, which means that I consume a lot of corn. Corn can be genetically modified, though I would never know, since there are no labeling requirements. That's scary.

In the last week, I've started educating myself about how to make better food choices and about how I can help affect positive change to educate others about the dangers in our food industry. I've reached out to friends with knowledge of the food industry to ask for help in finding the right resources; I downloaded an app to my iphone that helps me figure out which foods in the grocery store are from genetically modified sources; and I've compiled a reading list of foodie books to help me learn all I can about the food industry, the slow foods movement and genetically modified foods. First up on my reading list is "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" which has inspired me to try to overhaul my diet to eat only items that are in season. This will be more difficult as the seasons change, since State College doesn't have the nicest climate.

Welcome Home, Old Friend

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy and told that I had to stop eating wheat. That proved to be easier said than done, as wheat is in everything.

One of the things that suddenly made my forbidden list was beer. Pre-diagnosis, I was a beer lover. In my world, there was nothing finer than a nice oatmeal stout or a hearty dark beer with lots of complicated notes. I loved my beer dark and bold.

Post diagnosis, I was devastated. Sure, I enjoy wine and some liquor (mainly vodka when mixed in a martini), but nothing could hold a candle to a beer. What would I order when I walked into a bar? What would I drink at tailgate? My tailgate standard, Yuengling Lager, my constant football companion since I discovered it my junior year of college, was suddenly ripped out of my life. I felt like an old friend had suddenly moved away, without so much as a proper goodbye.

I have spent the last two years exploring the good (Greens), the bad (Redbridge) and the not so ugly (Woodchuck) of gluten free beverages. I spent $42 a case on halfway decent gluten free beer (Bards) for football season. My pricey beer soon became known around the tailgate as "funny beer" and the roadtrip to the Alabama game earned the unofficial moniker, "the No Funny Beer Left Behind Tour."

I did this funny dance at every bar I went to. It started with, "do you have gluten free beer?", which was followed by, "um, you know like Redbridge or Bards?", which quickly morphed to, "do you have Woodchuck?" or, in an act of desperation, "a vodka cranberry with lime is fine, then. Do you have that?" I felt like a castoff and I hated it. While my friends enjoyed their beers, I silently sulked into whatever gluten free option was placed in front of me (and let me add, there is only so much Woodchuck this girl can drink).

Three weeks ago, I received a text from a friend. She said, "We have Yuengling Lager on tap. Its made from corn, so you can drink it." It was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one text message. I think I may have gotten a little shaky, as I texted back to confirm the source of the information.

It turns out that another friend had just been diagnosed with a wheat allergy. His nutritionist told him that Yuengling is made from corn and contains no wheat. A quick check of the Yuengling website confirmed the happy news. My old friend was suddenly back in my life.

I had my first Lager in a very long time the following day. It tasted like home, which sounds odd, I know. I took a sip and suddenly had flashbacks to college, to football games and to Christmases with my cousins. (I swear I'm not some crazy alcoholic. I just attach memories to food and beverages).

A few days after that, I traveled to Hershey for the Motley Crue/Poison concert. We stopped at the YP (Your Place) in Hershey for dinner and pre show drinks. The reality of the return of my old friend was magnified at the exact moment that I could just order a beer. No explanation of what a gluten free beer is, no consternation at the lack of options, no silent sulking. Just regular ordering, like everyone around me. I felt normal and it felt great.

Since finding out that Yuengling uses corn in its mix, I've become a tad obsessed with checking every beer I can think of for wheat (thank god for the internet). I emailed the Straub people, who confirmed they only use cornflakes in their mix and that there is no wheat in it. I promptly ordered a Straub a few nights after hearing back from them. I also confirmed that Rolling Rock uses rice and corn in their mix and that it does not include wheat. Let's hear it for the PA beers (well, in the case of Rolling Rock, the pseudo PA beer) for being a wheat free girl's friend.

I Am Foodie, Hear Me Roar

Ten years ago, when I moved to State College, I did not know how to cook. I ate microwave meals and the occasional bag of popcorn for dinner. I looked at food as sustenance - nothing more, nothing less.
Then I started dating an Italian guy. He taught me to cook. He patiently ate my creations and suggested ways to improve my technique. I started watching the Food Network and discovered my local farmers market.
As the years went by, my love of food grew. I started a garden, became a Top Chef junkie and downloaded the Epicurious app onto my Iphone. I enjoy reading recipes and have a subscription to Southern Living just for that reason. Without me realizing it, food had become a passion.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy, which forced me to completely change my lifestyle. Real bread, pasta and beer were off the table. I had to rethink recipes that required flour and read every food label to ensure that there wasn't wheat lurking in my food. (Hint: there is wheat in just about everything - soup, Twizzlers, some kinds of soy sauce, etc.) I was forced to be obsessed with the things that were going into my mouth. I am obsessed with the slow food movement and with putting as much whole foods into my diet as possible.
I joined a community share this spring. I stop every Friday after work and enjoy picking out my veggies for the week. I have two raised beds, a strawberry pot, pots of basil and assorted veggies growing in my yard. I took a cooking class at a conference and came home more energized than ever about cooking.
Cooking gives me the same joy that gardening does - it is comforting and calming all at the same time. I love trying new recipes and creating dishes for my friends. I hosted the first annual Julia Child Night this past winter. I take pictures of my food.
The girl 10 years ago never would have envisioned the day when her food bill would be more than her bar tab.
I am a foodie.

Invasion!

Now that my star turn in "Mrs. McThing" (ha!) has ended, I can update you on all the good things I've been up to in my Oasis.

It started in April, when I power washed, primed and repainted my trellis. All told that took a week. I truly couldn't not have accomplished it without help from a friend, who patiently endured me splattering primer everywhere (my hair, my flip flops, a chair). I'm a messy painter!
After that was done, I turned my attention to building my raised bed. I purchased a kit made from recycled plastic. I figured it would be a piece of cake to put together.

Yeah, not so much.

Had the kit come with pre-drilled holes, I would have had no trouble putting the brackets on. Unfortunately, it did not. After nearly breaking my electric screwdriver, I called in the calvary (or in my case, a friend with a big drill) to help. In 5 minutes, he had the brackets attached.
With the brackets in, I was able to lay out and construct the bed. I filled it with a mix of dirt from the garden area and a bag of compost from State College Borough's compost facility.

Once it was built, I planted peppers (two green pepper plants and another variety), rhubarb, onions and lettuce. I supplemented the raised bed with three tomato plants that I put in pots (I had the blight last year, so I figured it was better to put them in pots this year), basil, dill, an unidentified herb I picked up at the Linden Hall Garden Club Plant Sale for $.50 and mint that I'm growing in a container in my house.

I finished all of this at about the same time that rehearsals started for my play. I was quite content to move into growing mode - watering, weeding, excitedly monitoring plants for signs of growth.

Then it happened - a groundhog invasion.

Punxsutawney Phil's evil twin brothers took up residence under my shed. They feasted daily on my lettuce. They dug holes everywhere. When I caught them moving toward the Oasis, I knew it was time to take serious action.

I called in the Crazy Township Neighbor (CTN), who assured me he had much practice in catching these pesky rodents. I didn't want them to die, but I did want them out of my yard. Make no mistake - Punxsutawney Phil is HEAVILY drugged on Groundhog Day. Real groundhogs are horribly mean little creatures. The thought of trapping them on my own and then transporting a hissing, mean animal in my car was less than pleasing.

CTN set up his wooden trap, filling it with carrots, peanut butter crackers and lettuce. Every day, I checked the trap. Most days CTN showed up in my yard in the wee morning hours to check the trap. I was beginning to think I was going to need some kind of CTN extraction plan.
After 3 weeks, CTN lost interest. Some animal was stuck in the trap for a while, but it managed to chew its way out. I moved the lettuce to a window box planter and hung it for my trellis. It hasn't grown (a big bummer), but the groundhogs seemed to have disappeared for now. CTN has gone back to only bugging me at work, thankfully.

Rebirth in the Oasis

"The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing better than they have everdone before." - Vita Sackville-West

One of my friends posted the above quote on my facebook page. This could truly be the quote of the spring, as I am working very hard to take the Oasis to the next level.

In the coming days, I will be installing raised garden beds, painting my trellis and planting, planting, planting. Stay tuned for pictures and details!

In addition to the projects listed above, I installed a rock border along my front flower bed. I literally used the rocks in my cellar (that the old homeowner dug out of the garden area). There are still rocks left, though maybe not enough to create the same border in the backyard.

Spring has sprung on Hemlock Street!

My Grand Ideas...

Once again, I have been a delinquent blogger! I can not promise things will get any better, as I realized yesterday that I have three free weekends left until October 24th. But, on the bright side, 24 days to Penn State football!!!

The garden has done really well! My onions are huge and are so sweet. My basil is growing like mad. I'm going to dry some, freeze some and also make a ton of pesto to freeze. Thanks to Patti for the great pesto recipe! I've been told that if I keep pinching it back, my basil will blossom well into the fall. If you have basil needs, please let me know. I'm happy to share my bounty!

Late tomato blight hit our community garden in Boalsburg. So far, I have not had any problems. It is a horrible year for tomatoes - they love hot weather; we've had a ton of rain and have only hit 90 a few times this summer. My fingers are crossed that I'll be able to get some tomatoes from my plants.

I have one big project that I want to complete before the end of August. I'm not giving away details now, but I will take some before and after pictures, so you all can see my handiwork. Fingers crossed that it will all work out!

Lastly, allow me to make a shameless plug for the movie, "Julie and Julia." What a great movie! I highly recommend it. I plan to spend my winter cooking some of the recipes in Julia Child's famous cookbook. My mom is bring up the "Joy of Cooking" for me in late August, so I'm going to try a few of those, too.

Until next time, enjoy the fresh bounty of summer vegetables at your local farmer's market. Remember: eat local!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

My sister reminded me last weekend that I have been a bad blogger! I'm so sorry. I was so busy with my play and then the start of the summer. I'll be a better blogger from now on. I promise.

We have had a ton of rain this spring/summer. I seriously feel like I live in Seattle! The one up side to the rain? My onions are going to be the size of softballs! I was in the garden the other day and noticed how tall they are. The best part? They still have about another 2 weeks to go. I may have to consider entering them in a contest!

So far I've enjoyed broccoli, mesclun mix and red leaf lettuce out of the garden. I recently planted leeks, a banana pepper plant, basil and two tomato plants. The one tomato plant has a small little tomato on it. The banana pepper plant has a few small peppers growing on them and the leeks are growing like mad (which doesn't surprise me one bit, since leeks are in the same family as onions and they love, love, love the rain). I am going to pick up some more basil to plant in pots, since the one I planted isn't doing so hot.

I have to sing the praises of the black landscape fabric. It has made my life so much easier. I do need to weed out the back part of the garden that I didn't plant and cover that in fabric as well. I encourage anyone who wants to garden, but who doesn't have a lot of time to worry about weeding to invest in the fabric. Its well worth the $10 I paid for each roll.

Until next time, happy gardening!