Food & Science Events at State Museum

Passing along a series of Food & Science Events
Hosted by the New York State Museum in Albany
(this info comes to me from the Capital District Permaculture Listserve - thanks!)


Food and Science - You are Invited !
In celebration of the 202nd anniversary of Charles Darwin�s
birth, the State Museum presents three cooking demonstrations that highlight
the evolution of domestic food. Each demonstration teams a local chef with a
biologist sous chef, and the two prepare the meal together, giving both
culinary and scientific perspectives on the main ingredients. Mansion
resident Dr. Jeremy J. Kirchman, curator of birds, will be on stage for the
final presentation..

*Swine and Dine*
*Wednesday, February 2 - 7 p.m.*
Pigs and their porcine relatives are used as food sources in many cultures,
and 7,000 years of artificial selection have resulted in the domesticated
pig that we farm today. Dr. Jason Cryan, an evolutionary biologist at the
State Museum, discusses the evolutionary origins, current distribution, and
biology of this ubiquitous animal, while Chef Tony Destratis of Lake George
Club prepares and presents inspired dishes.

* Potato: The Perfect Human Food *
*Wednesday, February 9 - 7 p.m.*
For the first few million years, the potato tuber was just a nifty
adaptation to help plants store a bit of energy underground. Then humans
discovered how nutritious it was, started experimenting with its evolution,
and created the perfect human food. Dr. Roland Kays, curator of mammals at
the State Museum, gives the evolutionary back-story to the tuber that
changed the world, and the Food Network�s Chef David Britton cooks up
examples of cuisine it has inspired.

*Living the Bubbly: Bread, Wine, and Beer*
*Wednesday, February 16 - 7 p.m.*
The variety of breads and fermented beverages developed by cultures around
the world are made possible by one species of yeast that has evolved into
hundreds of specialized strains. This microscopic fungus has been
intertwined with human evolution over the last 10,000 years, helping certain
cultures to flourish. Join Museum Scientist Dr. Jeremy Kirchman and Chef
Stephen Topper of the Copperfield Inn, North Creek, N.Y., as they discuss
the fascinating natural history of yeast and prepare delicious dishes.

For more info go to the New York State Museum website

Detroit - City in Decline/City of Hope?

Since I first learned this past fall (and blogged about) the vast network of 1200 community gardens in the City of Detroit (which formed in part as a response to the departure of the last major chain supermarket from the City of Detroit in 2007), my ears and eyes have been on the watch for anything Detroit-related.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the NOFA-NY (Northeast Organice Farmer's Association of NY State) Annual Conference held in Saratoga, to hear the keynote speech by Malik Yakini, a Detroit-native who is a longtime black activist in Detroit on local food, health and urban agriculture. As Executive Director of the NSoroma Institute Public School Academy, an African-centered charter school, he's been instrumental in teaching black youth about their ancestry and history, as well as the age old traditions of agriculture. Mr. Yakini is also Chairman of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, as well as a member of the Detroit Food Policy Council, which the Detroit City Council unaminously approved in 2009.

In a city where there are NO major supermarkets and most residents either travel to the suburbs or buy from small convenient shops (which typically don't offer a wide variety of fresh produce), the Food Policy Council adopted the following mission:
The Detroit Food Policy Council is committed to nurturing the development and maintenance of a sustainable, localized food system and a food-secure city of Detroit in which all of its residents are hunger-free, healthy and benefit economically from the food system that impacts their lives.

Okay, that said, Malik Yakini's hour-long presentation was one of the most honest, inspiring, motivating talks I have heard in a long time (even President Obama's State of the Union, but that's for later this week.) As a black activist, he spoke to the predominantly all-white audience about the intersection between racism, poverty, and access to healthy, local fresh produce.

He shared some disturbing statistics that say only one thing to me: As we experience increased unemployment nationwide, and the decline of industry based on cheap oil and energy, many people are looking to Detroit to see how they are managing as a 'post industrial city'. Check out this link for some images on Detroit's decline.

The statistics Malik provided are disturbing:
In 1950, the population of Detroit was 2 million
In 2000, the population of Detroit was 900,000
In 2011, the predicted population of Detroit is 750,000

- The current unemployment rate is 29% - and that's the official rate, it doesn't include those who have been unemployed so long they are no longer on the unemployment rolls. Given this, Malik indicated the unofficial unemployment rate is closer to 40 or 50%! That is almost half of the population.

And there's more:
- There are 103,000 vacant lots in the city, about half are owned by City government.
- 40,000 Detroit residents are WITHOUT water! That means their water has been officially shut off (apparently there's an underground "market" of people who will come around and turn your water back on for a price.)

The number of people without water astounded me. And, I agree with Malik when he said, "I personally believe it is your human right to have water." Noone should go without water because they cannot afford it.

These circumstances, particularly the lack of water, for me puts Detroit in the category of a 'developing country.' Unfortunately, I feel there are plenty of communities right here in the northeast that are headed the way of serious 'post industrial' decline. My own hometown, Gloversville, NY, in Fulton County, has experienced continued unemployment rates well over 10% (I tried to find actual stat but couldn't.)

However, I do believe there is Hope!

Detroit is a community that's founded in community activism. There is an amazing network of 1200 community gardens in Detroit. The Detroit Food Policy Council is working to develop and support access to healthy food. And according to Malik, there's a large network of people working on teaching and training people how to grow food in the community, including the The Greening of Detroit, among many others.

Malik's organization, the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN), has actively been gardening for a number of years in the community. Their focus is on 1) Food Access, 2) Food Quality, 3) Food 'economies'. In part, the DBCFSN is really looking at how to provide access to healthy local food, and the role of urban agriculture as a potential viable economy.

As Malik says, "We need to Restore the Honor in farming." One could say this is not just true of urban agriculture in Detroit, but in agriculture in general across our country.

There are a few things we need as humans to survive: food, water and shelter. It's no wonder many of us are only a few generations removed from our earlier ancestors for whom farming was a large part or total part of making their livelihood.

In terms of community organizing, if there was any take home message it was this: You have to engage and look to the community members you may be trying to work with to be leaders in creating change. Malik addressed some of the challenges his organization has experienced in trying to encourage African Americans, especially black youth, to take up urban agriculture. He said there are a number of underlying cultural reasons why black African Americans are resistant to farming, and a key one is they associate farming with slavery, and rightly so, since slaves predominantly worked in the fields.

This means new paradigms need to be created or older traditions connected to. Malik spoke about how at the Nsoroma Institute, they teach students about their roots to African culture, a vastly rich culture with deep connections to respecting the land, honoring mother earth and seeing humans as a part of nature. It is from this place which he attempts to educate and motivate youth to get more involved in gardening and growing food.

He also talked about how real sustaining change and empowerment must come from within the community. To paraphrase him, "It seems the people most interested in this new organic agriculture movement and working in disenfranchised communities are young educated white people." He continued, "And this is fine, but then they start getting grant money, and they start hiring their own white friends."

So, once again, the money intended to help communities of color is going to outsiders. That's the reason why he and others started the Detroit Black Food Security Network. So that community members could create the change from within.

Interesting, Malik told me later that his interest in urban agriculture originates with visiting his grandfather who lived in Georgia and had a passion for farming. At 9 yrs old, Malik planted his own garden in his back yard in Detroit. Neither of his parents were interested in farming, but something about it moved Malik to do this. It's this passion that drives Malik, and which he hopes to instill in more youth growing up in Detroit.

Note: There are other good things happening in Detroit as well, like an art revival among others. Here's a link to a blog (and source for the photo above)

NOFA-NY Conference in Sarartoga Jan 21-23

If you've got an interest in growing food, or have ever thought about starting a farm, check out the Northeast Organic Farmer's Association-New York (NOFA-NY) Annual Conference, being held this weekend (Jan 21-23), right here in downtown Saratoga Springs, at the Saratoga Convention Center.

The list of workshops and presenters looks really interesting. Here's a link to the conference brochure (note: it's a big file so takes a while to load.)

I personally am interested in hearing Malik Yakini speak. Mr. Yakini is the Chairperson of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN), he will speak on Saturday at 11am. According to the NOFA-NY conference brochure, Mr. Yakini is a longtime Detroit activist who has played a critical role in raising awareness about environmental and food justice issues in the city of Detroit for nearly a decade. Along with the DBCFS, Mr. Yakini maintains an organic farm in a cityowned park, created and maintains a food buying cooperative, and has been instrumental in creating food policy for the City of Detroit (which I've written about in an earlier post - Detroit is considered a 'food desert', as the City lacks any major grocery stores, so communities and neighborhoods have responded by developing a broad network of community gardens!)

Sustainable Saratoga & Jan 25 Meeting

The third Wednesday of every month the Saratogian prints a column written by a member of Sustainable Saratoga. This column provides the group with an invaluable method of sharing the work Sustainable Saratoga is doing, and allows the opportunity to provide education and information on what residents, businesses and local governments can do to become more sustainable and move away from our reliance on cheap oil and energy.

I wanted to re-post the link to this month's column written by outgoing Co-Chair Bill Sprengnether (also linked on the Saratogian's main home page today), as I think it provides an excellent explanation of what's at the heart of what Sustainable Saratoga hopes to achieve.

Toward the bottom of the column you'll find details on the next Sustainable Saratoga meeting, to be held Tuesday, January 25th from 7-9pm at the Saratoga Springs City Hall, 3rd floor music hall.


Namaste

Washers, Woodstoves, and Baking Squash

As a first time homeowner, I've learned a lot the past two years. It took me a while, but I did repaint all the rooms inside my house (thanks to my brother in law and nephew!) And, I've learned the many uses of the standard 'washer', and I don't mean clothes washer. I mean that small round flat metal gadget that you use to screw something in - to make a big hole smaller. I was quite thrilled when I fixed a knob on my laundry-area doors using a simple washer to keep the screw in place.

This fall and winter, much of my time has been spent on wood! Ordering wood, moving and stacking wood, ordering more wood, hauling in wood, and lately, figuring out why my wood stove hasn't been working very efficiently.

Here's what I learned -
1)Buy your 3 cords of wood in the spring, split, and then let it season yourself
2)Never buy wood that's not fully seasoned, and
3)It's really important to have good dry kindling.

Yup, common sense to the man or woman who's been heating with wood for years. But for me, these have been major lessons learned. Except for a year living in a house with a wood stove predominantly used for quaint cozy little fires, I've never lived with a wood stove prior. Despite the labor and time involved in heating with wood, there is equally something incredibly satisfying in being so intimate and directly involved in heating my house. I am so much more mindful of how much energy I'm actually using to heat my house. Plus, the beautiful thing is that if the power goes out, I still have heat. And, there's just nothing as warm, cozy and comfortable as woodstove heat.

The woodstove can serve dual purposes too. I often cook on the top of my wood stove. Some people I've told this to looked at me like I was crazy, "Why would you want to do that?" they asked. "Why not?" I thought. It's like double-utilizing my heating and energy source. Lately I've been baking squash. I use a rectangular baking pan, fill it about 1-1 1/2 inches with water, place my cleaned out squash face down, cover with foil, and if the stove has been running a while, I can have that water boiling and the squash cooked within an hour. Personally, I can think of nothing more cool, simple, and perfectly practical!

As we look at rising oil prices, predictions of $4 gallons of gas by the summer, I'm aiming for simplicity and practical. Next in order are some lessons on how to use a hatchet and an axe (so I can split my own kindling and not buy it)!

Happy New Year from Greyhound

Happy New Year! I'm writing this from my seat on the Greyhound Bus - making my way back from Maine to Saratoga, via Boston. If it's been a while since you rode a Greyhound bus, as it has been for me, the new buses are certainly modernized - new more comfortable seats with more leg room, a generally more comfortable ride, and equipped with wifi! That's cool. And, yes, the wifi works.

On my ride up to Maine, a day after the big snowstorm, Greyhound did pull out some of their older Adirondack Trailways buses to accommodate stranded riders from the previous day's storm. Unfortunately I ended up on one of those. I'm pretty sure it's one of the buses I used to ride back and forth from college in Rochester when I was an undergrad at RIT (20+ years ago.) Despite the cramped ride, I am grateful we have a fairly reliable bus system connecting the larger cities here in the Northeast.

Of course, I prefer the train. You might even say I've had a long term love affair with trains since my first trip to Europe in 1988 - 10 countries, 15 cities in one month via a Eurail train pass. Unfortunately, catching the train from Saratoga Springs to Portland, ME meant a 5hr layover in Albany and an eventural arrival time near midnight in Portland.

I can't say I've loved taking the bus for this journey. I do love to drive, and my driving route through Rutland, VT and the Killington valley covers some spectacular landscapes. I've driven that route enough trips that I have the timing and stops down pretty good - I can make it door to door in 5 hours. In contrast, my bus trip from Portland to Saratoga will be 10+ hrs, including layovers.

However, I am enjoying the free wifi on the bus. The Concord Coach bus, which goes from Boston to Portland even had movies. And, I've gotten a lot of papers read and grades finished for school.

It's also fun to begin the New Year with an interesting journey and new experience. So - Here's to hoping the New Year brings closure to old things which no longer serve, and opening to fabulous new experiences and new beginnings of all kinds!

Next stop - Worcester :)