Just Gotta Poke Around

I know it's Monday, well technically Tuesday since it's after midnight, and I should be throwing out a veggie wonder, but I am pooped and the foodie in me really wants to discuss the amazing egg pizza I made this weekend. I can't get it out of my mind and therefore, I don't want to talk about other recipes until I have time for that one. So there.

I do want to get some yummy thoughts out there though, and so, I decided to glean my title from "Shakedown Street" and to encourage you to keep hunting for local goodness as you go about your food shopping. March is tough times. Most of the storage items and preserved harvest from last year has run out (we are down to our last jam) and spring is taunting us with inklings of garden goodness. There is, of course, the amazing culture of the winter farmers market that seems to have exploded this year. I have been loving the apples I have been getting there. My kids were so excited to have this fresh fruit a month or so back and now when I serve them yet another apple they are like "Seriously? We want a banana woman!" and I just give them my standard reply "When you can grow a banana in NH you can have one." Is it any wonder they call me the "meanestest mother in the whole worlds!"?

But I have been pleasantly surprised to find some fairly local stuff at Hannaford as well. Potatoes and butternut squash from Maine were huge hits on our menu last week and I found them very reasonable. It takes me a bit more time, but I have now trained the kids to look for signs indicating where the produce was grown. Even in the big chains I find that most of it is labeled as "Product of Wherever". So first we rule out anything other than USA and then start to get as geographically close as possible, although I am sure there is some extra mileage in there when we take into account the crazy distribution system. For some insight into this you should take a listen to this episode of This American Life, my favorite NPR program and current addiction. And if, in your audio wanderings, you happen to catch some good Dead tunes, you'll be that much better off.

Read For Relief - Show Your Support for Haiti

As much as I do try to avoid the gloom of the news and to focus on the positive, there are times when we can not look away and are called to action from a world away. Such is the case with the growing crisis in Haiti and, as a mother, I am filled with sadness and compassion, particularly for the children caught in the chaos that inevitably results after a disaster of this magnitude. With stories and images of increasing violence, it is easy to become jaded and disillusioned. But in the first few days after the earthquake hit, there were countless stories of the Haitian people coming together to dig with their hands, care for the injured and carry the dead. At nearly a week out, though, desperation has begun to set in as the most basic of needs are not being met. People seem to want to attribute this to cultural differences, but I am forced to ponder what would unfold should a crisis of this magnitude befall us in this part of the world. Even in the often sheltered world of the Northeast, it is not difficult to see that when a breakdown of basic goods and services goes on for any length of time, any "every man for himself" mentality would quickly set in.
I have found and am following the blog of a American missionary couple living in Haiti with their large family. The 24 hour transition from posts detailing their adventures abroad to the quick and frightening updates post-earthquake are a jarring reality check. It is very worth checking out at http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/.
And now on to the work that we can do from here. I have done the best thing I could think of and set up an online fundraising event on my Barefoot Books website. My official title with Barefoot Books  is "Ambassador" and I can think of no greater purpose for this role than to support the relief efforts in Haiti. Now through January 31st, you can make a purchase and I will donate 100% of my profits to UNICEF. In an effort to get funds there quickly, I won't wait for my commission to come from Barefoot (that's how it works for online sales). As soon as the 31st is here, I will cut a check to UNICEF. I think sometimes people need to get a little to give a little so this is a chance for folks to get a wonderful book while making a contribution. If you would like to support the role of UNICEF during the crisis in Haiti, please consider purchasing a Barefoot Book by clicking on the button below.

I am encouraging people to make a selection from the World Cultures category, but it is not necessary. There are many selections for under $10 that are beautiful books with wonderful stories. During this event, I have displayed some of my favorite Barefoot Books about other cultures in the My Favorites section. In "Tales of Wisdom & Wonder", one of the seven amazing stories is a traditional Haitian tale that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Right now, this beautiful hardcover collection is on sale for just $9.99.
If you do choose a book about another culture, please spend time reading to and talking with your children about our part in the global community. I have used this as a way to talk to each of my children about what is happening in Haiti. Even a three year old can understand the sadness and fear that would come with being lost and alone and children truly have a servants heart. They all wanted to know what we can do to help. This is it.
Please consider bringing stories from around the world into your home as you reach out to those in desperate need. If you know of others who would care to be a part of this campaign, you can forward this post or direct them to http://hbplay.barefootbook.com/ where they can scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Support This Event".
Right now, UNICEF is deploying clean water and sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter to Jacmel and Port-au-Prince. UNICEF will also be focusing on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation. UNICEF was established in 1946 and is "the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. They have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality." To find out more about UNICEF's emergency aid in Haiti please visit http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/.

And now, words so wise and powerful they move me to tears:

"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert F. Kennedy

Peace be with you all.

Meaningful Meatless Monday: All Together in One Pot

It would have been easy to forget that today I was due for my second post on meatless meals. Days off from school always throw me off my game a bit. Combine this extended weekend with a very heavy snow falling all around us and it is enough to render me lazy and disoriented. But on this King of Holidays, I find myself reflecting on the vision of MLK and how that relates to my hopes and dreams as an environmentalist. Dr. King saw a better world where people would come together and strive for a deeper understanding of one another. Where we would live in harmony and peace with our fellow man and challenge ourselves to rise above and shed the complacency that plagued our society for so many years.  He dared to dream of a new way of living for future generations. We are honored and humbled by his leadership and we show a formal display of our gratitude on this day.

The Start of Meatless Monday: Tomato Cheese Pasta

I am far too verbose and much too crappy of a photographer to participate in Wordless Wednesday, so I'm goin' rogue and participating in Meatless Monday. I hereby proclaim that on Mondays, I will post a meatless recipe.
You don't have to be a rank and file member of PETA to see the benefits of eating more vegetarian meals. The demand for meat production puts extreme pressure on natural resources and is quite unsustainable. According to an article by USA Today and the Society for Advancement of Education, 56,000,000 acres of U.S. land are utilized for the production of hay for livestock. Only 4,000,000 acres are used to produce vegetables for human consumption. Water, feed and fuel are also disproportionately allocated to sustain meat product. The health and wellness of livestock animals suffers from these burdens and, thus, the risk of disease is passed on to us.