Healthy Cooking with Be Light.Be Well

Cooking with Be Light. Be Well.

On May 19^th we had the privilege of cooking with Nandini Gulati, founder of Be Light. Be Well and Lifestyle Advisor for Sharan. Our cooking class lasted a few hours, and by the end we were convinced that simply prepared fresh vegetables were in fact delicious. The methods and preparation were easy, focusing on drawing out the flavors of raw organic vegetables and preparing recipes that actually didn't require much stove top action at all.

Nandini's philosophy looks at food from a holistic perspective. She looks at where it comes from, how it grown, and how it is eaten. Nandini started off our class with a brief presentation on the history of food. She talked about how food has greatly deviated from it's natural state, as most products these days have many ingredients that we cannot pronounce and are derived from some chemical. We watched some film clips on fast food and industrialized agriculture. At the end she also made a brilliant statement that seemed to sum it all up: nowadays we treat organic produce is something special when it's really chemically produced fruits and vegetables that are unnatural. This phrase stuck with us as we went to the next part of the class: cooking with fresh organic vegetables.

Throughout the day Nandini had many tips to offer us. As a vegan, she knew non-animal product based alternatives for everything. Within a few hours we had whipped up a meal of salads, steamed vegetables, and an incredible pumpkin halwa. Yes, you read correctly, pumpkin halwa. Everything we made had 5 or fewer ingredients. It was truly about enjoying the best of nature in it's natural form. An important additional note: we used absolutely no oils, and ate on whole grain breads/crackers. All of these recipes can be found on sharan.com.

We started off with an incredibly refreshing mint lemonade. Nandini doesn't used refined sugar, and instead substituted palm sugar, which can be obtained pretty easily.

 

Next we made a cabbage salad with peanuts and a lemon-cilantro dressing.

Then came a delicious cashew tomato spread.

Afterwards we followed up with a pumpkin salad.

Then a cucumber coconut peanut salad.

Steamed Bhindi with an incredible besan filling.

Steamed karela served along side steamed mashed potatoes.

Finally we finished off with the pumpkin halwa.

Convinced yet? We all left seriously considering switching to a raw food diet. And even if we end up not converting, we learned a lot of great ways to prepare food that is good for us in everyway. No refined ingredients, no oil. Just natural goodness.

The Glorious Earthworm

Slimy? Yes. Gross? That depends. Earthworms might lean towards the creepy-crawly side, but they are actually one of the most important critters for organic farming. They are the key element of producing vermicompost, which is a nutritious fertilizer that helps plants grow healthy. It is made up of a mixture of decomposed food waste and worm castings. It is richer in nutrients than any other type of compost, has water-soluble nutrients, and can retain more water than regular soil. It can be mixed into the soil directly or made into a worm tea by steeping in water.

Vermicompost is a big reason why organic soil is so healthy. It provides many different benefits to the soil, to the plant, and to the environment.


The Soil: Vermicompost improves the physical structure of the soil, increases the amount of microbial activity (10-20 times the matter the worm eats!), and retains more water.

The Plant: It adds plant hormones, helps roots grow, and improves crop yield.


The Environment: As mentioned in the blogpost on climate change, the high organic content in the soil reduces green house gases.

Vermicompost is really easy to make. All one needs is red earthworms, Eisenia Fetida, a place to keep them, and any left over scraps of food. Apparently worms can process more than their equivalent of weight in waste everyday!

Completely unappreciated and even considered disgusting, worms are central to organic farming. Because of them the soil can produce plants that flourish and are more resistant to pests and disease. This is a little shout out to them, the creatures under our feet who are doing a lot to help us eat better.

The Impact of the Green Revolution

As we discussed in the previous issue, the Green Revolution was a shift in the way the world did agriculture. Farming in India changed nearly overnight; desi varieties gave away to hybrid seeds from other countries, ox-pulled plows were replaced by tractors, Punjab became a network of of dams and canals, and natural methods became chemical. Now there are very few farmers who remember what life was like before chemicals, even though the Green Revolution occurred only a generation or two ago. We understand the Green Revolution occurred as a response to a critical shortage in food all over the country. And the general consensus is that these chemically driven practices made India self-sufficient. But did it? With the talks of launching a second “Green Revolution” in the central government, we must look at the Green Revolution in terms the impacts now, 40 years later. Yes, there was an increase in yields. But as discussed in the last newsletter, has the pressing issue of food security been resolved? And who has benefited?

The Environment: One could say the most devastating impacts of the Green Revolution have been on the environment. The practices introduced by the Green Revolution are not sustainable, and continue to contribute to environmental degradation. While Punjab is hailed as the bread basket of India, the farmers also bear enormous burdens and have sacrificed much to maintain the high yields. When the high yielding varieties were introduced in the area, they should have come with a disclaimer stating the seeds were only high yielding if and only if they were paired with a lot of chemicals and a lot of water. The fertility of the soil is burned away bit by bit every by over-use of chemicals, water tables of Punjab are significantly lower, and groundwater levels are dropping by 25 to 30 meters ever year. If nothing is done to reverse this trend, desertification is on the horizon in the not-so-distant future. And this only the tip of the iceberg. In addition to loss of fertility and water, chemical agriculture has also lead to decrease in bio-diveristy due to monoculture, topsoil erosion because of a lack of organic matter in the soil, and chemical contamination of drinking water sources. Arguably the Green Revolution was implemented in India for us, the consumer eating vegetables every day. But at the end of the day, is it really for the people that the face of agriculture changed?

The Consumer: You've seen the statistics in the newspaper, in fact there are very few people who don't know that there are links between chemicals and cancer. But we often feel that we have no choice, because chemically grown vegetables are the cheaper option. After the Green Revolution food production became something complicated and corporatized. In the world agrochemical companies are some of the wealthiest in the world, and they have close ties with governments, research centers, and universities to promote the sale of their products. There is a specific reason why chemically grown vegetables are cheaper, and it's not just because of the yields. The amount of money (the taxpayers money) that goes to subsidize these companies and their products is unfathomable. Additionally, we have no idea about the quantity of chemicals that are used to produce our food. To maintain their yields, farmers will put in what they feel is "right, not necessarily the amount actually required. As consumers, we have a right to this sort of information but it is very difficult to monitor. And it is not the fault of the farmers. They need to earn a living, and while they are forced to buy seeds and inputs from big companies they are not given proper training or assistance amongst other things. A TERI study found that we in India eat 40 times more pesticide that an average American.

The Farmer: Perhaps the least known and the most heart breaking are the effects on the farmers. While some farmers benefited from the shift in agricultural practices, small farmers bought into a cycle of debt that has continued for generations. In the beginning, large subsidies were given by the state to lower the costs of both seeds and the additional inputs. However once these subsidies were decreased or removed completely, small farmers were at the mercy of seed and agrochemical companies to maintain their incomes. They lost their land to large farmers, and became contract laborers on land that they had previously owned. Small farmers are poorer than ever, in fact it is in their communities that hunger and malnutrition is at its highest. In the last decade, around 250,000 farmers have committed suicide - triggered by this chemical-induced-debt. And perhaps the most telling of the all in the high rates of cancer in farming communities. When we had traveled to visit I Say Organic's partner farms in Punjab, we were shocked to learn that the main reason the farmers there had converted to organic were because their friends and family members had developed cancer.

Going forward we must rethink the way food is produced. A sustainable system is possible. Perhaps instead of another “Green Revolution” to increase yields, we need to redefine how we think “Green,” and take into consideration the farmer, consumer, and the earth.

For Further Reading: 
www.ifpri.org/pubs/ib/ib11.pdf
http://eksparsh.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/impacts-of-green-revolution-in-india/
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article2577635.ece
http://www.indiatribune.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5389:every-12-hours-one-farmer-commits-suicide-in-india&catid=106:magazine
http://livingheritage.org/green-revolution.htm
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/water-table-dips-in-punjab-haryana/379008/1
 

New Recipe: Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a very light and refreshing middle eastern dish, perfect as a side salad to any meal. The ingredients and preparation are very simple, and great if you have too much parsley on hand.

Ingredients: 

150 g chopped fresh parsley
50 gm chopped fresh mint
3 ripe tomatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cucumber chopped into bite sized pieces
Juice of 3 lemons
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4- 1/2 cup packaged Couscous (tiny semolina pasta)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: 

To prepare the Couscous

1. Follow the directions on the package, but generally a 1/4 cup instant Couscous requires 1/2 cup of water
2. Bring 1/2 of water, salt, a little bit of olive oil, and the juice of 1 lemon to boil
3. Turn the heat off, and add the Couscous
4. Let the Couscous absorb the hot water, fluff with a fork when it is ready

To prepare the Tabbouleh

1. Combine parsley, tomato, mint, cucumber
2. Prepare the dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper
3. Add in the Couscous
4. Pour dressing over the salad and toss

Very light, very healthy, and perfect for summer! Enjoy!

Our Farm to Fork Operations

 This post is maybe long overdue, but we thought it would be great to tell you all about how your produce gets from the farmers in Sirsa, Haryana and Uttrakhand to your table in Delhi.

 1. Our amazing farmers harvest and perform an initial sorting of the vegetables, taking out all the veggies that are not "A" grade. The truck for Delhi is then packed, and sent on its way.

2. The truck arrives in Delhi, and the staff at the warehouse unload the truck










3. We sort the produce again, removing any vegetables that were damaged during transport.










4. Now here is where our customers come in. You place an order with our Call Center Team and let them know what you want in your basket.








5. All the orders are packed according to customer preference

6. All the orders are then put into the delivery van and sent to homes all over south Delhi.









7. And then you get a basket of fresh organic fruits and veggies like this delivered straight to your door! Note: we use blue re-usable plastic crates to minimize packaging and decrease our carbon footprint.








We hope this gives you better insight into how your order happens! Happy Eating!

The Environment Series: Part 1 Soil Erosion

You buy organic because you know the chemical free fruits and vegetables are better for your health. But buying organic also has the greater impact of promoting environmental sustainability and ecosystem preservation. Over the next few posts we'll talk about different environmental issues and how organic farming is doing its part to address them.

Soil Erosion

According to article in The Ecologist, almost half of the agricultural land in India is now degraded due to erosion from over use of chemicals. Why should we all be worried about topsoil erosion? If there is less fertile land, we will not be able to grow enough food to feed a continuously growing population. Soil erosion is a natural process where the top layer of soil is worn off by either wind or water. It is a form of soil degradation because of the loss of topsoil. This is especially important to agriculture because it drastically decreases soil fertility and lowers ability of soil to retain water, therefore reducing the productivity of the land. The soil's nutrients are mainly in the topsoil, and heavy erosion leads to infertility, making once productive land completely barren.

There are several modern agricultural practices that lead to rapid soil erosion. High use of agrochemicals is one. Pesticide and herbicide use lowers the amount of organic matter in the soil, causing the soil to absorb significantly less water. It also decimates helpful “weeds” like clover which create a protective cover for the soil. The excess water runs, taking topsoil with it and shunting agrochemicals into streams and other bodies of water. Soil with high organic matter absorbs water more effectively, retaining nutrients because of the soil binding microorganisms. Another cause of erosion is the use of tractors to till the soil. Tractors break up soil particles, creating a fine dust that is susceptible to wind and water erosion. Finally, monoculture, or planting just one crop in a specific area also contributes to erosion because the crop is harvested at once, leaving the fields completely bare and susceptible to the elements. Organic farming seeks to address these problems by engaging in practices that preserve soil quality.

Organic agricultural practices halt soil erosion in a few specific ways. Because of the use of materials like cow dug and vermicompost, soil on organic farms have a significantly higher organic matter content, available potassium, and polysaccharide content than soil on a conventional farm. It also has more active microflora, better soil structure, and significantly more fertile topsoil. All of this means that when heavy rains come water stays in the earth, instead of the topsoil running off with the water flow, and the soil is more resistant to being lifted away by the wind. Other practices include crop rotation, which gives the Earth a chance to recover from the the growing season and replenish nutrients, and encouraging the growth of helpful plants to provide coverage and mulch when uprooted.

Soil erosion is a serious issue, though it doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. The importance of the health of the soil is downplayed, and farmers continuously use more and more chemicals every year to attempt to maintain their yields. With India's arable (farmable) land diminishing at extremely high rates, one has to wonder to the country will continue to feed itself.

Use your demand for organic to create impact and change. By eating organic you are providing farmers for reasons to protect the soil, protect the Earth, and protect our future. 

Sources and Further Reading:

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/304237/half_indias_land_degraded_agrochemicals_partly_to_blame.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060322141021.htm

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/87-040.htm#Conservation%20Measures

http://farmlandforecast.colvin-co.com/2009/12/08/soil-erosion-the-silent-killer.aspx

http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/earthscience/geology/soils/SoilUse/ErosionSoilDegradation/Erosionsoildegradation.htm

 

Health Hazard at the Okhla Mandi

How many of us actually think about where our food comes from or under which conditions it is handled? The Times of India begged this very question in an article a few days ago about the Okhla Mandi.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-12/delhi/31330500_1_mandi-vegetables-fruits

The Okhla Mandi is one of the key distribution points in the South Delhi, Gurgoan, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad areas for fruits and vegetables. Produce comes in from all directions to be distributed to sabziwallahs, restaurants, hotels, and other vegetable vendors. It certainly gives a lot to think about for the state of vegetable markets, and protecting the integrity of the produce while keeping customers and suppliers free from food-borne illness.

Key points from the article:

1. The cleanliness of the Mandi has not been maintained at all
2. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee is responsible for cleaning the Mandi, but has not followed through on their promise
3. It is risky to buy vegetables and fruit that are not handled in a sanitary way. The probability of contamination is high given the current conditions and lack of maintenance.
4. A quote from the article: “Physician Dr Praween Kumar says such unhygienic conditions can cause a variety of gastrointestinal diseases. 'Flies transmit infections. And vegetables and fruits kept in such conditions could contain larvae and maggots, which can cause faecal-oral and gastrointestinal diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and even typhoid. Often we don't have alternatives so and hence we buy these vegetables; but if we do, we should wash them properly before cooking. If you are eating fruits raw, it may be safer to peel off the skin.'”
5. Officials claim that the Mandi is cleaned regularly, but it seems upon walking in the reality is otherwise

It is incredibly important that safety is put first and it is a shame that more is not being done to prevent contamination, especially when so many people are eating produce from this Mandi. And it's also important that consumers are aware about what happens to their fruits and vegetables before it reaches the table.

This is a reminder to all retailers to highlight and focus on quality, and a good argument for sourcing directly from farms. We're glad to see an article that highlights such a critical public health issue, and is also a call for action. You don't have to put up with veggies that also pose a health risk. You have the choice to buy vegetables are are hygienically handled and packed, and come straight from farmers that you can trust. Hopefully both consumers and officials will step up and demand clean produce.

Ber the Super Fruit and a Recipe!

Ber, or Jujube in English, is a fruit that is said to have originated in China and has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. Ber has calming properties and is an excellent source of anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruit can be used to alleviate anxiety and insomnia. Jujuboside A is a powerful natural chemical that affects the hippocampus and is used as a natural sleep aid. Besides containing anti- oxidants which fight cancer causing free radicals, ber contains a 20 times more vitamin C than citrus, vitamin A and B2, 18 out of the 24 required amino acids, and minerals like potassium and calcium. Light green to dark brown when ripe, these berries are a great way to maintain health, boost immunity, and get a good night's rest!

Ber is mostly eaten raw, but it is great cooked as well as a chutney, jam, or fruit butter. Ber butter is made in a similar way to apple sauce, and can be spread on toast, used as a chutney, or eaten on it's own.

How to prepare Ber Butter

What you Need:

A large saucepan

30 odd Ber pieces

½ cup sugar or more or less according to your taste

zest of one lemon and juice of half a lemon

1 cinnamon stick

a few cloves

water to cover the ber

1. Chop the ber so that the stems and seeds are out
2. Combine the fruit, water, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the sauce pan and bring to a boil
3. Lower heat and cook until the mixture softens
4. Add sugar and cook until the mixture darkers
5. Optional for skinless butter: rub the mixture through a strainer to remove the skins
6. Move the ber butter to a jar or tupperware

For more information and further reading:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/117526-health-benefits-jujube-fruit/

http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2011/09/jujube-a-super-fruit/

What's Happening to the Bees?

We want to bring to light an issue associated with industrial agriculture which only a few know about. Here's why it should be a major cause of concern. 

Bees are an integral part of the agricultural ecosystem. They are the main pollinators, and without them fruit and vegetable plants would not be able to reproduce. Without bees the ecosystem collapses and food yields drop. We absolutely depend on these little creatures to sustain ourselves.

In the last decade there has been a sharp decrease in the bee population, for no apparent reason. Populations have plummeted in the United States, and also places closer to home like Bihar. This phenomenon, known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is when worker bees from a colony abruptly disappear. Scientists have done their best to pinpoint the cause. Possible factors have been attributed to global warming, even cell phone radiation. But various recent studies have suggested that a main cause can be pesticides.

Neonicotinoids are a chemical developed as an alternative to DDT, but in reality is much more toxic. Bees eat the toxins from the nectar and pollen, and consequently their immune system is weakened and unable to fight off disease. Pesticides are meant to get rid of bad insects, but they are destroying the insects the earth needs. But moreover, if this is the effect that pesticides have on bees, what can that mean for other animals? For humans? Each pesticide is a dose of a toxin. Built up over time these doses wreck havoc on the environment and on living things.

This is a famous quote attributed to Einstein: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” While there is debate as to whether or not Einstein is the one who uttered this quote, one cannot deny the seriousness of colony collapse. And while there is still no way to link this issue to one root cause, pesticides are certainly a good contender.

It seems better to just not use chemicals, specially when there are effective alternatives. In order to solve these issues, every little step counts. We promote organic so that we can eat in a way that is sustainable and conscious. Your desire to eat organic matters, and makes a huge difference in the big picture!

So How Do I Know It's Organic?

There is lot of concern about whether our food is really what it says it is. We read about scary things in the papers all the time about our food being diluted, added to, or just being fake! Let's talk a little about organic certification and how the process of maintaining the integrity of organic produce works.

Organic Certification is a stringent process and marks a commitment from the farmer to grow only organic produce. There are many factors that go into the certification process, such as quality of the soil, how long the farmer has been growing chemical-free, if the natural fertilizers and pesticides are safe to use, the quality of the water, and others.

The Standards:

• All the crop production and animal husbandry on a farm must be chemical-free for three years before it can be certified.
• Farms that are under the three year mark are labeled as in-conversion
• All seeds and plant material should be chemical-free, not genetically modified, and no hormones or additives
• Organic farm land must have a buffer zone/ area between it and conventional farms to prevent contamination by run-off from conventional fields.
• All farming practices must promote bio-diversity and be ecologically sound
• Raw animal manure must be composted first
• Farms cannot be contaminated by sewage water (very big plus point of organic)

Farms are checked regularly to ensure all standards are being met. Any foul play leads to immediate suspension or revocation of the certificate. False claims regarding the produce are monitored and fined. Our certification is done by Control Union. We would be happy to provide a copy of our certification at any point upon request. 

NPOP India Organic Logo

Happy Eating, 

I Say Organic

Resources: www.apeda.gov.in