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Saturday, 21 March 2009 23:37 |
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On March 1st I attended an event in DC called "Artists for the Climate" sponsored by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network(CCAN). I was expecting a lecture on global warming causes and solutions. It turned out to be more of a rally than a lecture. The event preceded a protest of a Washington DC coal burning power plant on March 2nd, which I did not attend. The protest occurred on the day after the biggest snowfall in DC this year. Numbers were lower because of the snow, but it's reported that about 2500 people attended the protest in front of the power plant that supplies energy to the Capital building. For this one plant the protest was effective as the plant has apparently been ordered to switch to cleaner burning natural gas. My main reason for attending the "rally" on March 1st was to hear local food movement superstar Wendell Berry, and he didn't disappoint. Though, because of the number of speakers and performers scheduled he was only on stage for a short time. Mr. Berry opened by saying that he's "been flying all over the country for the past 35 to 40 years telling people in effect to stay at home". This simple statement details the complexity of these environmental issues. There is no perfect solution that seems feasible right now. After making it through 8 speakers and performers I still had yet to hear anyone give a viable solution to global warming. It was mostly people making statements like "there is no clean coal", which of course led to wild applause and cheers from the mostly middle-aged, white, affluent crowd looking to relive memories from their past as flower children. Then Wendell Berry took the stage and plainly said that we need to find an economic solution to global warming. He didn't follow up on this much, since his stage time was limited. It seems to me that this is the key. If there was an alternative energy provider that was much better for the environment I would switch, even if the cost was slightly higher. As far as I know there is no such alternative. Berry ended his time on stage by reading some poems he had written from a collection called "Sabbaths". The poems were inspired by man's constant search for rest or contentment. The driving force that if I just make this happen then everything will be okay. Whether the something is job related, family related, financially related, or in this case environmentally related. But of course once you make that one thing happen there is something else that you want to make happen next and the Sabbath is never reached. Other speakers and performers included director of CCAN Mike Tidwell, president of the Hip Hop Caucus Rev. Lennox Yearwood, writer, educator, and environmental activist Bill McKibben, award winning author of "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" Janisse Ray, 2007 DMV (DC, MD and VA, not department of motor vehicles) Rapper of the Year Laelo Hood, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry Gus Speth, Grammy nominated country music performer Kathy Mattea, and award-winning author and environmental activist Terry Tempest Williams (not knowing it was her I think I told her something to the effect of "wait in line with the rest of us" when she asked how to get inside before the event). |
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Saturday, 14 March 2009 21:48 |
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I spotted a bag of chicken livers while browsing through the meat from EcoFriendly Foods at the Dupont farmers market last Sunday. Shopping regularly at farmers markets I've become accustomed to buying whole chickens. It's rare to see a bag full of a single part like the family pack of drumsticks you'd find in the grocery store. On one hand I like to easily recognize that the meat I buy comes from animals so I can give the meat and the animals the respect they deserve. But of course on the other hand there is convenience. I immediately liked the bag of chicken livers since it was a convenience that I don't always see at the farmers market. I also like organ meat. I know many people are opposed to organ meat for various reasons and I can understand the ick factor. I genuinely like the taste of most organ meat I have tried. It has a little more gaminess and richness. I also like to eat the whole animal out of respect for the animal. When an animal gives its life to feed me I prefer to use every last bit of that animal. I often make broth from the leftover carcass of a roasted chicken, and I try to eat the more "undesirable" parts of animals when I find them from ethical, sustainable sources. This desire to eat the undesirables even drove me to eat head cheese when I saw it on the menu at Bar Pilar on Wednesday. It turned out to be quite delicious!  If you are a fellow offalphile I recommend this recipe for chicken liver mousse. It was mighty tasty served on a baguette with cornichons on the side.  |
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Wednesday, 04 March 2009 04:09 |
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Sorry for the long break, but RedWattle is back! As you can see I've changed the look of the site.(Thanks for the great new banner Melanie!) I've also changed how the site is hosted, which will allow me to add more features in the future. I was hoping to have the site more complete than it currently is before I brought it back, but I was dragging my feet too much. So I decided to bring it back as is and make changes along the way. You may notice that I've lost most of the pictures and all the comments from the posts. There are a few formatting changes that I'll probably make as well. Please let me know if you see anything else that doesn't look right. I'm hoping that I set the feed up properly. If you're getting this via a feedreader please submit a comment or send me an email,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, so I know that it's working properly. |
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Monday, 17 November 2008 00:00 |
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 Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It's time to talk turkey. If you purchase a turkey from your grocery store you're likely to come home with the Broad-breasted White breed of turkey, bred to have a breast so large that they can't mate naturally, and likely factory-farm raised in confinement. There are lots of other turkey options, however. They may require looking further than your grocery store, though. I recommend checking your local farmers market to see which farmers have raised turkeys for this holiday season. Though some will have customers pre-order turkeys they often have extras on hand if you get to the market early the week before Thanksgiving. There are many heritage breeds of turkeys and recommended cooking methods can vary per breed. Below is a list of heritage turkey breeds and a recommended recipe for each. The first two recipes are links to epicurious recipes and the third is the recipe for the beautiful spatchcocked(butterflied) roasted turkey pictured above. I chose a wet brine method for the breeds with a disproportional large breast. This should help keep the breast meat from drying out. For the medium breasted birds I chose a basting recipe. For the small breasted birds with a higher ratio of skin to meat I chose a dry brine method, which allows you to cook on high heat with the fat in the skin keeping the meat juicy and giving you a very crispy skin.
Rosemary-Roasted Turkey
Recommended heritage turkey breeds: Beltsville Small White, Midget White, Broad-breasted Bronze
Cider-Basted Turkey
Recommended heritage turkey breeds: Narragansett, Bourbon Red, Slate, Standard Bronze Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey(recipe below)
Recommended heritage turkey breeds: Jersey Buff, White Holland, Black, Royal Palm 
Spatchcocked Roasted Turkey(season 2 to 4 days before cooking) Ingredients:
1 heritage breed turkey(recommended breeds listed above)
Salt(3/4 teaspoon per pound of turkey)
Pepper(same amount as salt or to taste)
Rosemary(or other fresh herb)
2 to 4 days before cooking the turkey you should season it. This allows the salt to penetrate the meat, tenderizing and flavoring it. This 'dry brine' method yields a juicy bird and relies on the quality of the turkey to provide the flavor unlike a wet brine in which the juiciness of the brine is the flavor. Spatchcocking(or butterflying) the turkey greatly reduces the cooking time and allows you to cook over high heat. It is also convenient for cooking the turkey on top of stuffing. The turkey juices will run into the stuffing, but the bird can be removed easily when finished and the pan can be placed back in the oven to brown the top of the stuffing.
Spatchcock and season the bird(2 to 4 days before roasting): To spatchcock(butterfly) the turkey cut the backbone out with a heavy knife or sharp pair of kitchen shears. Put the bird on a flat surface, breast-side up, and press down to flatten the bird. Dry the turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Season the the turkey with 3/4 teaspoon salt per pound and an equal amount of fresh ground pepper. Use your finger to create a cavern between the skin and meat and place sprigs of rosemary or other herbs under the skin in four places: above each breast and above each thigh. Store turkey in the fridge until roasting. The larger the bird the longer beforehand you should season it. 
Roasting the turkey: Position the oven rack at its lowest level and preheat to 425 degrees. Dry your turkey thoroughly with paper towels. This will allow the turkey to roast properly and not steam. Place turkey in a roasting pan on top of stuffing(if desired). Check turkey after a half hour to see how dark the skin is. If the turkey appears to be browning too quickly lower the heat to 375. I like to roast the turkey to a dark golden brown. After this point check the turkey every half hour by placing a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. The turkey is done when it registers 170 degrees. Also check the browning of the skin and lower heat or cover parts with foil if they brown too quickly. Check the turkey more frequently when the meat thermometer reading approaches the desired temperature. Remove turkey to platter, tent with foil, and allow to rest in a warm place for at least fifteen minutes(and up to 45) before carving. The roasting pan can go back into the oven to brown the top of the stuffing at this point. 
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Sunday, 16 November 2008 00:00 |
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1) It's better for the environment 2) Less oil consumption 3) Better for your health 4) Better for animals 5) Support your community 6) It tastes better 7) Make a statement that you care about how your food is produced 8) Build a tradition of good quality regional food 9) Conserve heirloom breeds of plants and animals 10) Stay in touch with the seasons |
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