Chef John Ash, from the wonderful wine region in California, talked to us last night about sustainability and conscience eating. He was very engaging and knowledgeable, so I feel that I should share some of that knowledge here.
Buying organic is expensive.... right? Actually, many organically grown fruits and vegetables these days, especially when they are in season, are very similar in price to their conventional counterparts, you just have to look. The Environmental Working Group has also come out with a list of the produce that you should be buying organically versus produce where it doesn't matter as much, so you can buy them conventionally. Check it out!
He also talked a lot about sustainable fishing. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch program in which they outline the best choices, good alternatives and seafood to avoid. Their recommendations are based on sustainable farming, fishing practices and species endangerment. It is definitely something to consider when choosing your next piece of fish. They even make wonderful pocket guides to help you.
Chef John also gave us a few homework assignments. The first is to grow something edible. This goes along with the Food Not Lawns principle which was demonstrated every time I drove to campus past the Food Not Lawns house. I have an herb garden on my little porch: check. The other assignment was to adopt an heirloom bean. I was very confused on this at first. The idea is that there are many heirloom varieties of fruits/vegetables/beans/grains/etc. that were abundant in history, but due to big business demanding a uniform product these varieties were almost all lost. It is our assignment to choose one of these heirloom beans and learn about it and cook with it. This is where if we ever are in the position to put an item on a menu, it should be our signature dish made with this bean. If people do not demand it, farmers will not grow it and if farmers do not grow it we will loose these wonderful products forever. Here is an article about this idea from The Chef's Collaborative. See the mail order sources at the bottom of page 3. Chef John recommends the family operated Purcell Mountain Farms.
I am sure there is more, but I will have to check my notes and get back to you.
