"Many organic practices simply make sense, regardless of what overall agricultural system is used. Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be a serious contender in modern farming and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term."
Here's my thinking: from the time I decided that my By Hand Project would focus around learning the principles of organic cooking, I could not have possibly grasped the immense scope that exists within the organic movement. I have been exposed to so many different ways of looking at how food and food production can be considered organic. Its really beyond belief!
I'm just thankful that our current class reading, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life was assigned towards the end of the semester. It has really worked out in the best imaginable way as it has coincided with my Reflection Mode. Not only have I been able to reflect on my personal organic experience through my By Hand Project, reading this book has reaffirmed what is unique about organic farming. For example, unlike genetically modified foods, which were discussed in the text, which use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides as a means to enhance production of food sources. In actuality, there are many unintended and harmful consequences that can occur from these practices. Oppositely adherents to organic practices use tactics such as composting, green manure, as well as crop rotation which serve to provide a natural source of nutrients and fertilizer, while also protecting the agricultural fields from pathogens and pests. All of this is done in the organic movement to ensure that what is being grown is not only good for oneself but is also good for the environment.
This is just one way Reflection Mode has benefited me. It can probably help you too.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
We'll call it...Reflection Mode
Its officially that time of the semester once again. You know, when all of the work for all of your classes comes flying at you and hits you like nothing else. You feel overwhelmed as if no matter how much effort you put forth toward your studies, it still doesn't come close to the amount of time you'll actually need to get everything done. Currently, its hard to imagine many other situations that could be more stressful then experiencing the pressures connected to making your deadlines.
But oddly enough, the thing that always helps me when I feel stressed come this time of the semester is not to jump into my studies for as hard as I can and/or as long as I can. That will only exhaust me. Instead, just take some time to reflect on what has happened over the course of the semester. I am now officially in Reflection Mode. I take some time to figure out what has been easy for me and what has presented challenges. Also I try to recognize whatever techniques that best assisted me in preparedness for a particular class so that I reuse these methods next semester. But most importantly, as I work through the endless amounts of layering that is my school work, I constantly find myself asking the same question: What have I learned from this experience?
I'd like to think that from every class I've taken, I have received some sort of beneficial knowledge or useful advice that contributes to the expansion of my worldview. With Reflection Mode in full-swing, I am happy to report that there is no exception to this notion when it comes to my experience with the class, up to this point.
Here's my thinking: from the time I decided that my By Hand Project would focus around learning the principles of organic cooking, I could not have possibly grasped the immense scope that exists within the organic movement. I have been exposed to so many different ways of looking at how food and food production can be considered organic. Its really beyond belief!
I'm just thankful that our current class reading, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life was assigned towards the end of the semester. It has really worked out in the best imaginable way as it has coincided with my Reflection Mode. Not only have I been able to reflect on my personal organic experience through my By Hand Project, reading this book has reaffirmed what is unique about organic farming. For example, unlike genetically modified foods, which were discussed in the text, which use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides as a means to enhance production of food sources. In actuality, there are many unintended and harmful consequences that can occur from these practices. Oppositely adherents to organic practices use tactics such as composting, green manure, as well as crop rotation which serve to provide a natural source of nutrients and fertilizer, while also protecting the agricultural fields from pathogens and pests. All of this is done in the organic movement to ensure that what is being grown is not only good for oneself but is also good for the environment.
This is just one way Reflection Mode has benefited me. It can probably help you too.
But oddly enough, the thing that always helps me when I feel stressed come this time of the semester is not to jump into my studies for as hard as I can and/or as long as I can. That will only exhaust me. Instead, just take some time to reflect on what has happened over the course of the semester. I am now officially in Reflection Mode. I take some time to figure out what has been easy for me and what has presented challenges. Also I try to recognize whatever techniques that best assisted me in preparedness for a particular class so that I reuse these methods next semester. But most importantly, as I work through the endless amounts of layering that is my school work, I constantly find myself asking the same question: What have I learned from this experience?
I'd like to think that from every class I've taken, I have received some sort of beneficial knowledge or useful advice that contributes to the expansion of my worldview. With Reflection Mode in full-swing, I am happy to report that there is no exception to this notion when it comes to my experience with the class, up to this point.
Here's my thinking: from the time I decided that my By Hand Project would focus around learning the principles of organic cooking, I could not have possibly grasped the immense scope that exists within the organic movement. I have been exposed to so many different ways of looking at how food and food production can be considered organic. Its really beyond belief!
I'm just thankful that our current class reading, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life was assigned towards the end of the semester. It has really worked out in the best imaginable way as it has coincided with my Reflection Mode. Not only have I been able to reflect on my personal organic experience through my By Hand Project, reading this book has reaffirmed what is unique about organic farming. For example, unlike genetically modified foods, which were discussed in the text, which use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides as a means to enhance production of food sources. In actuality, there are many unintended and harmful consequences that can occur from these practices. Oppositely adherents to organic practices use tactics such as composting, green manure, as well as crop rotation which serve to provide a natural source of nutrients and fertilizer, while also protecting the agricultural fields from pathogens and pests. All of this is done in the organic movement to ensure that what is being grown is not only good for oneself but is also good for the environment.
This is just one way Reflection Mode has benefited me. It can probably help you too.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Crafting on the final days of Passover
For today's post to my By Hand blog I've crafted something that's in every Jewish kid's arsenal during Passover: Matzo Pizza.
Pictured above is all the ingredients I used:
- Matzo
- Dave's Gourmet, Organic Pasta Sauce
- Organic Valley Shredded Cheese, Mexican Blend
After splitting the two pieces of Matzo in half, I applied the pasta sauce.
Next, the shredded cheese is place on top of the sauce (pictured below).
The matzo pizza is placed in the oven (at 400°) for just a few minutes until the cheese starts to melt.
The end product is a tasty snack that I have mad at least six or seven times during this current Passover holiday.
The End Product:
Going back to my post from last week, I was very happy I could revert back to the original intention of this blog's purpose: to explore organic recipes while adding to my own personal cooking repertoire. This week I was able to introduce organic ingredients to a recipe I was already familiar with. I have to report that the ingredients made all the difference! In the past, when I have made Matza pizza with whatever I could find around my house, I have always ate my creation without any complaints. But to go out beforehand to Bloomingfoods and specifically purchase organic ingredients, I felt a certain and different sense of accomplishment when I created this dish throughout the week...not too mention the results tasted great! In the upcoming weeks, I look forward to creating more organic dishes.
Pictured above is all the ingredients I used:
- Matzo
- Dave's Gourmet, Organic Pasta Sauce
- Organic Valley Shredded Cheese, Mexican Blend
After splitting the two pieces of Matzo in half, I applied the pasta sauce.
Next, the shredded cheese is place on top of the sauce (pictured below).
The matzo pizza is placed in the oven (at 400°) for just a few minutes until the cheese starts to melt.
The end product is a tasty snack that I have mad at least six or seven times during this current Passover holiday.
The End Product:
Going back to my post from last week, I was very happy I could revert back to the original intention of this blog's purpose: to explore organic recipes while adding to my own personal cooking repertoire. This week I was able to introduce organic ingredients to a recipe I was already familiar with. I have to report that the ingredients made all the difference! In the past, when I have made Matza pizza with whatever I could find around my house, I have always ate my creation without any complaints. But to go out beforehand to Bloomingfoods and specifically purchase organic ingredients, I felt a certain and different sense of accomplishment when I created this dish throughout the week...not too mention the results tasted great! In the upcoming weeks, I look forward to creating more organic dishes.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Passover on my mind
With the Jewish holiday of Passover starting tomorrow evening, I decided to get into the festive mood by creating traditional Matzah balls for a Matzah ball soup. I felt that it would be a great to display a sense of my own heritage while also adding to my By Hand repertoire.
Here is the ingredients given from this product:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 Matzah meal
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons soup stock
First I blended the vegetable oil, eggs, Matzah meal and salt together. After that was completed, I added the soup stock. After sitting in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (as instructed in the recipe), this is what my Matzah mixture looked like:
(Doesn't necessarily look the most appetizing at this point...but it gets better)
The next step was to form the mixture so that the Matzah meal can take its traditional ball-like shape.
Nextly, the Matzah balls cooked in boiling water for about 30 minutes.
Overall, I really enjoyed making this dish. Not only was I extremely happy with the final outcome of the Matzah balls, but I really felt a sense of accomplishment through my cooking skills that I haven't really obtained otherwise. Perhaps for me, crafting something that is of significance to my own cultural background has led to a better appreciation of the food I'm making.
Here is the final outcome:
With the addition of broth, chicken, and some vegetables this will make a delicious Matzah ball soup for this upcoming Passover!
P.S. I know originally this By Hand Blog was supposed to cover organic recipes and lately I've gone away from that. On the other hand, I have heavily shifted my research project on the political expression that come from both the organic and DIY movements. In the near future, I will want to resolve this issue and see how my blog can better assist me in research efforts.
Here is the ingredients given from this product:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 Matzah meal
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons soup stock
First I blended the vegetable oil, eggs, Matzah meal and salt together. After that was completed, I added the soup stock. After sitting in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (as instructed in the recipe), this is what my Matzah mixture looked like:
(Doesn't necessarily look the most appetizing at this point...but it gets better)
The next step was to form the mixture so that the Matzah meal can take its traditional ball-like shape.
Nextly, the Matzah balls cooked in boiling water for about 30 minutes.
Overall, I really enjoyed making this dish. Not only was I extremely happy with the final outcome of the Matzah balls, but I really felt a sense of accomplishment through my cooking skills that I haven't really obtained otherwise. Perhaps for me, crafting something that is of significance to my own cultural background has led to a better appreciation of the food I'm making.
Here is the final outcome:
With the addition of broth, chicken, and some vegetables this will make a delicious Matzah ball soup for this upcoming Passover!
P.S. I know originally this By Hand Blog was supposed to cover organic recipes and lately I've gone away from that. On the other hand, I have heavily shifted my research project on the political expression that come from both the organic and DIY movements. In the near future, I will want to resolve this issue and see how my blog can better assist me in research efforts.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
On Today's Menu: Hummus
For this week's attempt to add to my By Hand project, I decided to make one of my favorite appetizers: hummus.
Here is a ingredient list for hummus that I found on the internet:
- 4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
- 1 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
- 2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Here are my ingredients at the prep stage:
Here are the preparation instructions provided by the website:
- In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.
After I read the instructions, I immediately ran into a problem. Since I am not at home, I did not have access to a food processor. The best I could make do with in my college apartment was a blender. Having to make do with what was at my disposal, I was reminded of the idea of Yankee Frugality in Rachel Lawrence's "Making Do: The Aesthetics of Frugality," which we talked about extensively in class.
Here is a picture of all my ingredients being mixed into the blender: (Trust me, the finished product taste better than it looks!)
After I used the blender in place of the food processor, I could definitely see the disadvantages of using the blender. From the picture above, it was obvious that I perhaps pulverized my ingredients a little too much. Perhaps, if I had access to a food processor my ingredients would have been handled in a more gentle fashion. Nonetheless, I was still a able to get a good amount of hummus from the bottom of the blender.
The finished product:
In the end, my hummus turned out to be the perfect afternoon snack!
Here is a ingredient list for hummus that I found on the internet:
- 4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
- 1 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
- 2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Here are my ingredients at the prep stage:
Here are the preparation instructions provided by the website:
- In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.
After I read the instructions, I immediately ran into a problem. Since I am not at home, I did not have access to a food processor. The best I could make do with in my college apartment was a blender. Having to make do with what was at my disposal, I was reminded of the idea of Yankee Frugality in Rachel Lawrence's "Making Do: The Aesthetics of Frugality," which we talked about extensively in class.
Here is a picture of all my ingredients being mixed into the blender: (Trust me, the finished product taste better than it looks!)
After I used the blender in place of the food processor, I could definitely see the disadvantages of using the blender. From the picture above, it was obvious that I perhaps pulverized my ingredients a little too much. Perhaps, if I had access to a food processor my ingredients would have been handled in a more gentle fashion. Nonetheless, I was still a able to get a good amount of hummus from the bottom of the blender.
The finished product:
In the end, my hummus turned out to be the perfect afternoon snack!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
1st Attempt=SUCCESS!!
This past weekend I went home for a family engagement. Since it was the first time that I had a full kitchen at my disposal, I decided that it would be a good time to get started with the cooking portion of my By Hand project. For this first attempt at cooking an organic meal for the context of this class project, I thought I would do something simple and that I have had some success with in the past. Therefore, I felt most comfortable cooking a vegetarian Pad Thai dish.
Here is the Ingredient List I found online for a vegetarian Pad Thai dish:
1 (12-ounce) pack dried rice stick noodles (sen lek)
6 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons smashed garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 cup red bell peppers
1/2 cup green bell peppers
1/2 cup ground peanut
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons Thai pepper powder
1 cup fresh bean sprouts, for garnish
1/4 cup shelled peanuts, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Early on Saturday morning I was able to attend a local farmers' market in Dayton, Ohio and picked up some of the ingredients needed for my dish. These ingredients included the garlic, peppers, and cilantro. At the suggestion of my girlfriend, I also picked up some freshly made tofu to provide some extra texture to the dish. At my own discretion, I also added sauteed onions and carrots to the dish to create more color.
Overall, I was fairly happy with the outcome of my dish. This was the first time in over a year that I have applied myself in terms of cooking and crafting a complete dish. I look forward in the upcoming weeks to creating more meals for this project.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Reflections gained from the Winter Famers Market
As an alternative to the upcoming ArtsWeek assignment, yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Bloomington Winter Farmers Market, which is hosted by the Local Growers Guild. Since my By Hand project focuses on the craft of organic cooking I decided to focus this week's blog entry on my experience with the local growers at the market. I was amazed by the wide variety of items for sale at this market given it is the winter growing season. In terms of the produce I saw there was lettuce, radishes, cabbage, herbs, carrots, parsley and beets. There were also some other specialty items such as maple syrups, salsas, persimmon pulp, jams, and ravioli.
While at the Farmers Market I also had the chance to learn more about the Local Growers Guild. The Local Growers' Guild is a cooperative of farmers, retailers and community members dedicated to strenghthening the local food economy in Southern Indiana through education, direct support and market connections. Everyone who had a booth at the Winter Farmers Market is a member of the guild. The most important thing I noticed about the Local Growers Guild is the sense of community that is fostered between the vendors. There is definitely a strong camaraderie between each seller at the market.
Yesterday at the Winter Farmers Market I purchased some fresh cilantro, spinach, as well as some collared greens. For next week I look forward to incorporating these ingredients into a dish. I'll make sure to take photos to document my progress.
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