Ninety Degree Studios

Updates from July, 2009

• Family Farms

  Gret 8:26 PM on 29/07/2009 | 0 Permalink
  

  Today I was lucky enough to visit the Kvam Family Farm( http://kvamfamilyfarm.com/ ).  There, I met Mark and Molly Kvam, who run the farm.  It was really neat to see everything.  We met the cows, and Milky Way let me rub her nose.  We were surrounded by hens the whole time, they just seemed to be checking us out.  We also got to see all of the gardens, the building where the milk, eggs and meat are stored, and the room were the broilers(the chickens we eat) are processed.  At the end of the visit I purchased some raw milk, and I must say, it’s pretty good.

  While I was there, Molly explained the different aspects of farm life.  She also gave me advise of how to get started, such as making sure you’ve got the funds, and do plenty of research before hand.  A farm can be very rewarding, but it can also be very difficult and trying.  Some good advice she gave was to intern at a local farm, or see if any local farmers would willing to help out.  I hope to return there soon.

  Gret

   

  Reply Click here to cancel reply.

  You must be logged in to post a comment.

• Real Food for Thought

  Gret 4:18 PM on 28/07/2009 | 0 Permalink
  

  The book Real Food, by Nina Plank, was an eye opener.  I already knew that grass-fed was better than grain-fed, for the obvious reason that a cow in a field is happier and healthier than a cow in a closed-in pen of metal and concrete.  I just didn’t know that it was better for us, too.  This book, explained many things, like how to know what you’re eating(talking to the people who produce/raise the food you buy) and that you can be a healthy vegetarian, but you’d be better off as an omnivore.  I haven’t been able to eat red meat in over a year(since my diagnosis of IBS-Irritable Bowel Syndrome- and I miss it!!!) but the more I read, the more I thought I might just be able to again, if I can find a good source of grass-fed beef.  I also learned that raw milk is probably one of the best things you can put in your body.  A naturally near perfect seasonal* food.

  Something else to think about, fish and oils.  The fatty acids we need can be obtained through the consumption of fish, and a few seed oils(though fish and red meat would be better).  But also, the heating of some oils can change them into carcinogens.  I think I’ll stick to olive oil and butter from now on when cooking.  I guess I’ll just get to the bossy bit here: read the damn book.  It’s great, it was the first food book I’d read, and I think it started something for me.  I’m now consuming food books like there’s no tomorrow.

  * Raw milk is best in the spring and fall, when the grass grows quickest, but is also great in the summer.  You can get it in the winter, but the milk will be from silage and hay, mostly(depending on the state, because it is illegal to transport raw milk over state lines).  Not fresh green grass.

   

• Food Blogging?

  Gret 6:35 PM on 27/07/2009 | 1 Permalink
  

  Yup, that’s right, I am now going to blog about food!  Not just eating it(though that will be a nice chunk of it), but also about where it comes from, how to grow/prepare it, and whatever else I feel to be relevant at the time.

  I wall also be taking requests; if you have a question, let me know so I can attempt to answer it!  What brought on this decision?  Why, my love of food, of course, but also the feeling that somethings just need to be said, and that the stuff that doesn’t need to be said, should be said anyway ~,~

  My first entry will be about the film, Fast Food Nation.  I know, old news for some, but I just got around to watching it today, and I nearly cried.  It was harder to watch than I thought.  We all know about migrant workers being treated like shit, but this film has no hesitations about shoving that in the viewers face.  I’m frankly grateful for that, because it’s easy to forget what it’s like, and get caught up in the frenzy of “they’re here illegally”.  This film reminds us that it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you’re from, someone will always take advantage of you, or try to intimidate you.  Another jarring aspect of the film was the last scene.  I knew what went on in a slaughter house, I even had the chance to visit one once(but had a prior obligation), but the film didn’t try to soften any edges.  However, this film also made me realize that people my age are a lot dumber than I thought.  Cattle evolved side by side with us, we benefit from each other.  When people decided to take advantage of that, is when the problems started.  One thing the film didn’t acknowledge, which I wish it had but understand that it may have detracted from the rest of the story, was that cattle are intelligent, and can be trained, if they stay in a pen, that’s all they’ll know.  If a human is locked up for an extended period of time, they may not be so eager to “run free” either.  Okay, if you haven’t seen it, do so, and don’t stop eating meat if the film grosses you out, just meet the people who raise and process the meat.

  Gret

   

• From KoBach

  Gret 1:30 PM on 24/07/2009 | 0 Permalink
  

  “I’m not having sex just because it gives you something to do!”

   

• Food

  Gret 11:05 AM on 23/07/2009 | 0 Permalink
  

  So I’ve been doing some research on food(big shocker, I know), and I have come to the conclusion, that I want a farm.  I also want to visit local farms, and start buying local foods, like dairy, fruits/veggies, and maybe meats, like chicken, and I’d also like to try some local pastured beef.  If my gut can take it, then I may, in very small quantities on special occasions, begin eating red meat again. — There is nothing unethical or immoral about eating an animal that led a great life, free of worry and illness, eating what it was meant to at it’s leisure. — We have some great local resources here, and all over the country.  It’s time we took advantage of them, and helped them grow.  I’m going to encourage as many people as I can to not only visit local farms and farmers, but to grow their own produce, get to know the local flora and fauna, and stop choosing convenience over sustainability.  We need to acknowledge and respect the impact we have on the environment around us, and I don’t mean “global warming”(enter mocking voice).  Instead, we should focus air quality, local economies, regaining the “neighborhood” vibes.  We’ve lost too much to the industrialization of food, it’s time we took our lives back.

  Gret

  P.S.  Global Warming is real, but it would happen with or with out us(cycles of global warming and cooling have been taking place from the beginning).