2-Methylnaphthawhat?!
In yet the latest evidence
of what is profoundly wrong with our industrial food system, Kellogg cereal
company recalled 28 million boxes of Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops and
Honey Smacks earlier this summer. As reported in the Washington Post, the concern was over "elevated
levels" of a chemical in the packaging, which resulted in a strange taste
and odor, as well as reports of nausea and diarrhea. Kellogg insisted that there is "no
harmful material" in the cereals.
The chemical in question
is 2-methylnaphthalene. Unfortunately
federal regulators at the Food and Drug Administration know virtually nothing about its impact on human
health, nor does the Environmental Protection Agency have any basic health and
safety information on the chemical - even though they've been asking for that
information from the chemical industry for 16 years.
We do know that it is a
natural component of crude oil, and is related to naphthalene, a possible
carcinogen used in mothballs and toilet-deodorant blocks. Tasty, huh?
And yet
2-methylnaphthalene, of which millions of pounds are produced and used each year,
is just a drop in the proverbial chemical bucket. All in all, it is one of
about 80,000 chemicals used in everyday commercial products - from clothing to
children's products to food and food packaging - that our government knows
little or nothing about. In fact it is
one of about 62,000 chemicals that was actually exempted from regulation when
Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1976. How's that for regulatory oversight of our
food system?
Just something to consider
the next time we reach for a packaged food product instead of a natural or
whole food....
(For more information on
pesticides, industrial chemicals and other toxins in our food, go to the Environmental Working Group's Food page.)
Golden Beet and Melon
Salad
While we're on the subject
of fresh, whole food, here's an excellent and easy summer recipe straight from the test
kitchens of Montgomery Victory Gardens: golden beet and melon salad.
Admittedly, this is partly
to brag about the fact that I was actually able, in my third year of attempts,
to grow some muskmelons. (One major tip I learned at a Brookside Gardens symposium earlier this year is to solarize or heat up the soil with black
landscaping cloth. The other big problem
for melons in urban community gardens is thieves, in this case the two-legged
kind, but they've been kind enough to leave me a few this year.)
Golden beet and melon
salad is a delicious, tropical-tasting cold salad, even though the ingredients
(minus the orange juice) can come straight from any Maryland garden or
farm. And it's simple:
Just grate a few golden
beets (as if you were making a slaw), throw in a couple of grated carrots, some
mint, and then marinate for a couple of hours in a "dressing" of
orange juice with a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice. Then, just before serving, chop some melon
into bite-sized pieces and mix it in.
It's a wonderfully unique
local taste sensation - try it out!
YMCA Summer Camp Teaches Kids
About Food Growing
Here's another great
example of teaching children about growing food
- as reported by MVGer Jenny Brown of the Audubon Naturalist Society's
GreenKids program, who helped set up this garden:
"Patrick Detzner [seen here with a choice eggplant] has
been a Silver Spring YMCA Summer Camp Counselor for the past five summers and
has worked there for eight years, beginning while he was in high school. This spring, he approached the Y with an idea to start a garden for summer camp attendees,
and got strong support from Associate ED Andrew Mason and Executive Assistance
Beth Boyd. In April, Patrick broke ground. He amended the soil of the approximately 400
square foot garden with mulch from Takoma Park.
He got labor from local high school students and donations of plants,
old tomato cages and chicken wire, as well as seeds for a Three Sisters Native American garden
(beans, corn and squash).
Over the summer, campers aged 5-12 have helped Patrick with watering, weeding,
and putting up deer and rabbit fencing. 'The kids really seemed to enjoy the work,' Patrick reports, and he
taught them about the parts of plants and different types of vegetables, as well
as letting them sample the harvest. 'My parents live close by. I harvested zucchini and eggplant, took it
home, grilled it up, and brought it back for the kids to try. Some ignored me, but some of them really
liked it!'
The Silver Spring YMCA
Camp Garden has raspberry bushes, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant and
watermelon all thriving. ('The corn
really surprised me,' said Patrick. 'It's doing so well.')
While there have been challenges, including getting water to the garden,
Patrick says 'I liked learning about it all.
I didn't know what I was doing the whole time, but luckily the garden
was very forgiving!' He's looking at
fall plantings soon, and hopes to have the Camp Garden back up and running next
summer."
Thank you Jenny, and way
to go, Patrick! Yet another wonderful
model for exposing our children to the joys of food gardening!
MC Board of Education
Member Shirley Brandman Discusses School Food - Friday, August 27
Many folks in our county get
involved in local food issues because they are parents who want to see their
children fed healthier, fresher, more nutritious food at school.
If you are one of those
people, here's a great opportunity to put on your calendar: MC Board of Education member (and former Board
President) Shirley Brandman will be speaking with constituents on the issue of
school food on Friday, August 27 from 10 a.m. - 12Noon. Shirley has been an advocate for improvements
in school lunches, and this is a great opportunity to speak with a decision
maker in our county.
The meeting will take
place at the home of school food activist Carrie Witkop, 8827 McGregor
Drive, Chevy Chase, Md. 20815. RSVP's are requested at carriewitkop@juno.com
or by calling 301-654-1622. So come share your concerns with Board member
Shirley Brandman on the 27th - and if you do go, make sure to bring up the
issue of the ban on school vegetable gardens as well!
Blossom End Rot
We've had a few inquiries recently
on the issue of blossom end rot - that annoying condition where a spot on your otherwise
healthy tomatoes and peppers (typically but not always the bottom end) turns
dark and mushy for no apparent reason.
(It also strikes eggplant, pumpkin and squash.)
According to the Home and
Garden Information Center at the University of Maryland, blossom end rot is
actually a nutritional disorder caused by a shortage of calcium in enlarging
fruits. While it can be caused by low
soil pH or excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer, the most frequent cause is
inconsistent watering or drought.
The solution? The affected veggies should be removed
immediately. (And in this author's
experience, the non-affected parts can still be eaten.) Avoid high nitrogen
fertilizers, and make sure to water the plants deeply at least once a week if
there is little or no rainfall, keeping the ground around your plants mulched,
which helps maintain soil moisture even during periods of drought. And before you put in your transplants next
year, consider adding a handful of ground limestone with the soil from each
planting hole.
For more pictures and complete
information on blossom-end rot, check out the HGIC webpage here.
Farmers Markets Increase
by 16% in 2010
Here's a comforting piece
of news from Washington Post food writer Jane Black: according to figures released
this week by Department of Agriculture, there are now 6,132 farmers markets in
operation in 2010, up from 5,247 in 2009. Locally, Maryland 
has 107 farmers
markets, up 18 percent from 91 in 2009. The District of Columbia has 28 markets
in 2010, a 12 percent increase from 25 in 2009.
There are even 886 farmers markets which operate throughout the winter. There
were only 1,755 farmers markets when the Agriculture Department first began
tracking them in 1994.
The news comes as we
celebrate National Farmers Market Week, August 2 - 8. Click here to read the USDA proclamation.
As Ms. Black notes, the
interest in farmers markets, and in fresh local food generally, is driven to a
large extent by consumer concerns about food safety and a renewed focus on
healthy eating. Still others are driven by the desire to support local farmers,
or environmental concerns and the desire to cut down on the "food miles"
in their diet. In addition, the locavore lifestyle has clearly become
fashionable, buoyed by bestselling authors such as Michael Pollan and Barbara
Kingsolver, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama, the first since Eleanor
Roosevelt to plant a garden on the White House lawn.
There is some concern that
the farmers markets benefit wealthier urbanites more than rural communities,
but one thing seems for sure - more farmers markets is a good thing. Don't forget to keep patronizing your local market in Montgomery County as long as it's open!
New Report: Federal
Policies Discourage Farmers from Growing Fruits and Vegetables
Even with the growth in
farmers markets nationally, there is a disturbing new report that confirms
what many of us have been saying for some time: the same federal policies that
encourage the growing of commodity crops such as cron, wheat and soybeans,
actually discourage the growing of fruits and vegetables.
The report, Planting the Seeds for Public Health: How the Farm Bill Can Help Farmers to Produce and Distribute Healthy Foods, was commissioned by Healthy Eating Research, a program of the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Key findings include:
* Fruit and vegetable
farmers lack a safety net to protect them from natural disasters in a manner
comparable to programs that are available for farmers producing major commodity
crops;
* Crop insurance, disaster
assistance, and loan and conservation programs are not designed to address the
unique characteristics of fruit and vegetable production and marketing; and
* Nutrition program
expenditures are not adequately directed to ensure children, including those from
low-income households, receive healthy food.
The report emphasizes that
many of the recommended changes could be made by the USDA without the need for
additional direction from Congress. However, if such policy changes do not
occur, Congress will need to make changes in the reauthorization of the Farm
Bill.
"Farmers can help improve
public health," said Jill Krueger, a senior staff attorney with the Farmers Legal Aid Group and the lead author of the report. "Federal policies should
make it easier for farmers who would like to produce and market fruits and
vegetables. Now is the time to build consensus for policy change to improve
existing programs as they are implemented and to prepare for the next Farm
Bill."
# # #
That's it for this week, everybody! Please help support
Montgomery Victory Gardens - click here to make a 100% tax-deductible contribution online!
And don't forget to send us your feedback and ideas for stories or local food events we can promote, by emailing us at info@montgomeryvictorygardens.org.
Yours in celebrating National Farmers Market Week,Gordon Clark,
Project Director
Montgomery Victory Gardens 
