tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10960047052903216392024-02-22T14:01:15.580-08:00Farms Forests FoodsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-3909320972690447602014-08-09T02:53:00.004-07:002014-08-09T02:55:08.731-07:00From the Archives: A Right to Hunt in the Bribri Indigenous Territory, Talamanca, Costa Rica<br />
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<span style="color: #00000a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In 2012, I lived in <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2012/04/ye-u-coroma-my-house-in-coroma.html">Talamanca, Costa Rica</a>. There, I was fortunate to collaborate with a group of women and men who taught me about living off the land. These are the people who have taught me most about Indigenous rights, particularly those rights related to the management of natural resources and food.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">The Bribri people have lived in Talamanca since time immemorial. In 1977, the Costa Rican government created a <i>Reserva Indigena</i> for the Talamanca Bribri people (</span>43,690 hectares<span style="color: #00000a;">) and appointed local governments for this Bribri Territory. In 1982, “La Amistad International Park” was created bordering and overlapping with the Bribri Indigenous Territory. Also in 1982, La Amistad International Park and the Bribri Territory were proclaimed a <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/205/">United Nations Biosphere Reserve called La Reserva Biosfera La Amistad</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">In 2012, I worked with people from the </span>Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> community. For many of my colleagues in this community hunting was a way of life. People hunted for many reasons that are themselves are connected. For example, hunting was a way of finding foods and medicines but it was also recreation. In addition, walking hunting paths was a way of teaching youth about the land.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a;">My colleagues taught me that</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">hunting was as a process whereby people communicate with beings in other worlds to ask permission to take animals. These beings include </span>Sibö̀<span style="color: #00000a;"> (the creator) and other beings that protect animals. Asking permission to hunt is one way to show respect for </span>Sibö̀<span style="color: #00000a;"> and other beings. Another way of respecting these beings is to hunt only what they need for food or medicine. For example, the </span>Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> residents I worked with, both young and Elder, explained that they did not hunt and sell forest meat. Instead, animals are hunted for household consumption and sharing among families. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> residents' access to hunting was affected by the hunting law that was implemented when the La Amistad protected area was created. This hunting law has resulted in a management plant that dictates what people can hunt, where they can hunt, and how hunting should take place. Specifically, there is only one area of the protected area where Bribri hunting is permitted and even then, they can only hunt animals that are not endangered and they can only hunt using traditional bow and arrow techniques; this despite the fact that many people use rifles and have done so for many years. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">Bribri people have acted differently towards protected area hunting regulation. For example, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-size: large;">some of my colleagues explained to me that the hunting ban was the reason why they no longer hunt. A few female colleagues shared that because of these laws they are scared to send their sons out to hunt. For other residents, the hunting ban did not stop them from hunting. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LD120I6O0iTDS7Bm5pNiKTtS-gSI2tNTHdjNlqXKb6q_coDj_38o0c4sYDdDL-wUzVB7vKm6eJg9GkBwKDpqWkFZBuha2K_unD3MsIMLbASKSuzN4jxG0qF1zs3JQAxMP2TGZW9L9XQ/s320/Armadillo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LD120I6O0iTDS7Bm5pNiKTtS-gSI2tNTHdjNlqXKb6q_coDj_38o0c4sYDdDL-wUzVB7vKm6eJg9GkBwKDpqWkFZBuha2K_unD3MsIMLbASKSuzN4jxG0qF1zs3JQAxMP2TGZW9L9XQ/s320/Armadillo.JPG" height="238" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-size: large;">Generally speaking, the hunting ban was not well received. One reason it was not well received was because it was</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;"> imposition on Bribri people's <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx">rights to food.</a> I learned how Bribri people have their own ways of thinking about hunting and living off the land that are different from the Costa Rican government's ways of managing forests. In fact, </span>Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> Elders created what they call the original hunting laws. These original hunting laws </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-size: large;">resulted from meetings among Bribri Elders who had convened to talk about hunting rules, based on Bribri values, because of their concern about changes in animal populations in their communities. Although Elders hunting laws </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">were being observed in </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Kalom ã when </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-size: large;">the Costa Rican government hunting ban went into effect, these Elders laws were not considered in protected area managment. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Another reason hunting bans have not been well received is because they minimize the importance of traditional authority and Indigenous decision-making mechanisms. The original Elder hunting laws are a case in point. Although these Bribri laws existed before the Costa Rican state hunting ban, the Elders laws, recommendations, and teachings were not considered in the Costa Rican state legislation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">On the other hand, there are some </span>Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> residents that support aspects of the hunting ban. For example, one Elder explained that government laws might help to control hunting by people who live outside of Coroma but go there to hunt animal meat for sale; this Elder made it clear that these laws should, however, not be applied to all aspects of Indigenous hunting because hunting, sharing, and eating forest meat is part of what it means to be Bribri.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">When I gave a presentation on this topic earlier this year at the <a href="http://atbc2013.org/">Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC)</a> conference in San Jose, Costa Rica, I received both positive and negative feedback. Some conference attendees were keen to discuss how to best respect the rights to food of Bribri people living in and around protected areas. Other attendees were concerned that Indigenous rights to food were not compatible with aspects of biodiversity conservation legislation. One attendee said it was unlikely that conservation biologists would ever accept hunting in protected areas, especially when endangered species are being hunted. Although the hunting of endangered species is a valid concern, it is important to acknowledge that hunting is a <a href="http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C169">right for Indigenous people in Costa Rica</a>. And, this right is not limited to the act of hunting; it includes the right to making decisions about how to manage Bribri food systems.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">All too often we focus on one way of looking at land-use. In the case of my recent conference experience, I learned that many people strongly associate protected forests with conservation of biological species. So, how can we have a discussion about different ways of understanding the land? One way is to think about it from a human rights perspective. As a researcher, it is my goal to use my research to help the public become familiar with human rights to land, to food, and to decision-making. And, I hope the more familiar we are with human rights policies, the better chance we have of convincing policy makers to act on them.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">There are thousands of species of edible fruit trees in the world yet too many people are still food insecure. So, why don’t we do our landscaping with edible fruit trees? I know two people that did exactly that! Mary and Mike McLaughlin, the founders of <a href="http://www.treesthatfeed.org/">Trees that Feed</a>, decided to tackle food insecurity by landscaping Caribbean islands with fruit producing trees, such as breadfruit. In the process, Mary and Mike have worked to provide people with the means to sell the fruits from these trees to a growing local market. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Mike shared some alarming food security statistics: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">“<i>In Jamaica they are spending something of the order of four billion dollars a year. That’s a huge amount of money to spend on imported food when Jamaica has a natural climate, warm weather, a year round growing season, and good rainfall.</i>”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Trees that Feed is a project designed to cut down peoples’ need to import food on two levels. First, Mike and Mary have dedicated time to promoting cuisine made from locally available fruit trees. In this sense, they are promoting a local market for these fruits. Second, this couple works with famers to help them get more trees and to increase local production to provide fruits for local markets. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In the long run the benefits of this process are invaluable because, as we all know, the costs of importing foods are on the rise. And, imported food is rarely of the same nutritional as food produced locally, and imported food does not have the same cultural value.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">So, why did Mary and Mike choose to start planting breadfruit or other cultural trees, such as Akee, in the Caribbean? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Mary answered, “<i>both of us are from Jamaica and these are foods from trees that we are used to and we see the value of them”. </i>But these are not just any trees<i>, </i>Mike added<i>, </i>“<i>they are culturally appropriate species that farmers want to have on their land.” </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And Mike further explained, “<i>It is very important to us that these foods are culturally accepted; it takes a very long time for cultural acceptance of a new food.” </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Mike told me that breadfruit is not actually native to the West Indies, it was actually introduced there 200 years ago. That means that although Jamaican breadfruit has become a traditional food, it is a relative newcomer to the region. He also explained that it took a generation for people to start using it and to accept it. Mike and Mary explained they don’t want to wait 25 years before their efforts begin to increase food security. So, instead of supplying or importing new foods for people, they are planting foods that are already well-known. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Mike and Mary’s efforts to increase food security are unique because trees are different than cash crops. Cash crops require fertilizers, they can deplete the soil, and they can be hard to harvest. On the other hand, fruit trees do not require fertilizer and they only need a little care.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And, trees can be planted in urban areas. Mary explained that growing fruit-producing trees in urban areas is important because much of the food in cities is imported from rural areas. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcktll5PLb23GePfTofzZ700WoGV5oofD-Kb5o32QTR_G58-yuLAaWFx9U8Yin7OaLxMWB_I3NZOQzZZzGFRJZIE5gbPYHFQe1__GTPJiNzDbMHdjN-vFPKNC8KzRpBWNCWzrJEFXB4I/s1600/Chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcktll5PLb23GePfTofzZ700WoGV5oofD-Kb5o32QTR_G58-yuLAaWFx9U8Yin7OaLxMWB_I3NZOQzZZzGFRJZIE5gbPYHFQe1__GTPJiNzDbMHdjN-vFPKNC8KzRpBWNCWzrJEFXB4I/s1600/Chicken.jpg" height="281" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In addition to their potential in supporting the food insecure, fruit trees can have large benefits for the ecosystem. Fruit trees provide shade, habitat for wildlife, they purify the air, and sequester carbon. In Haiti, breadfruit trees prevent erosion and as a result these trees keep the streams and rivers clear. What’s good for the streams and rivers is good for the fish. So, the fishing industry in Haiti has started planting breadfruit too!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">There is no doubt in my mind Trees that Feed is a great initiative, but will this idea catch on in the long term? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Mike and Mary think so and they have planned to make this project last. They </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">have encouraged the local people to start small and build up their capabilities, their resources, and local markets. They have encouraged people to sell locally because it is easier for farmers to make more profit when they avoid paying duty and other external taxes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">But, farmers that work with Mary and Mike still face challenges. Mary and Mike have an initiative that helps farmers make gluten-free flour from their breadfruit. However, Mary told me that, “…i<i>n Haiti where local artisans are making breadfruit flour they can’t compete against heavily subsidized North American wheat they just don’t make it you know a farmer can’t compete against free</i>”. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I saw this same trend in Costa Rica where indigenous farmers do not stand a chance selling their local organic corn when the United States is flooding the market with extremely cheap, low quality corn. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Despite the real obstacles farmers experience in our </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">industrial food era, Trees that Feed gives people options. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">So, here you have it, a new idea on how to make landscapes edible, using culturally-appropriate foods. But, Mary and Mike have much more than food in mind. They have increased the number of jobs, improved livelihoods, and restored degraded lands in the process. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">For more info check out <a href="http://www.treesthatfeed.org/">Trees that Feed</a> or follow them @TreesThatFeed</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">All photographs in this blog are courtesy of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Mary and Mike McLaughlin.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-68603472545810807382013-12-31T11:09:00.001-08:002013-12-31T11:09:35.055-08:00Farms Forests Foods In 2013: A Thank You To My Readers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8UW5h7diu99mSjNI7svvuHz4GiDHY1DYcoVFxkQ95PD6Jjw_bjOOY43k-Cpk9IS2tTOvOhI1vgAO0Y1kbVOkKuQzCK-0hkwGq9bN2i6h7b0FqzvFezKBKJ4DGSsk1UJMXTQb-b74ONs/s1600/Photo0052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8UW5h7diu99mSjNI7svvuHz4GiDHY1DYcoVFxkQ95PD6Jjw_bjOOY43k-Cpk9IS2tTOvOhI1vgAO0Y1kbVOkKuQzCK-0hkwGq9bN2i6h7b0FqzvFezKBKJ4DGSsk1UJMXTQb-b74ONs/s400/Photo0052.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When not blogging, I try to stay connected to my food.<br />
Here I am stone grinding corn using Bribri techniques<br />
in Costa Rica. </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Today's post is a thank you to my readers for tuning into Farms Forests Foods in 2013. I extend a special thanks to those readers that contributed to and have commented on the blog. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Blogging can become a very lonesome feat; your questions and feedback on the blog remind me someone else has benefitted from my writing. Most importantly, your comments and discussions on the blog help to create an interactive community of food enthusiasts, a community united by goals of just and sustainable eating for healthy lands and people.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Here are 5 things our Farms Forests Foods community has achieved:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">1) Over 71,000 Blog Views! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I started this blog in 2011 to share my research and knowledge about food sustainability and food justice; your visits to my blog have helped me achieve this goal. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">When you click on the blog, I get a notification that someone passed by the blog. With that notification, I assume something I wrote was at least remotely interesting. If you want to help me improve this blog, please comment directly on the blog posts you read. Your comments help me understand what you've liked, disliked, or what questions you still have after a post is written. So, even if it is a short commment, such as "<i>Interesting</i>", or a short question, such as "<i>Where was that picture taken?</i>", I learn more about what caught your attention in a post.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">2) A Space for Group Discussion and Learning: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Your comments on the blog are not only important for my growth as a writer, they are critical for other readers. Take your questions, for instance. Posting your questions on the blog allow me (or another contributor) to answer them where everyone can see them and learn from them. So, instead of emailing me your questions, post them directly on the blog where the answers can be read and appreciated by all. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And, as readers of the blog, don't be shy to answer other readers' questions. I'm not an expert in all themes that come up in our discussions, so I could use your help. And, the more teachers we have commenting, the more we all learn.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">3) A Space for Food Sustainability and Food Justice on Twitter</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Your interest in my blog motivated me to join twitter in June 2013. I was reluctant to join at first because I thought twitter was just an extension of facebook. I was pleasantly suprised with twitter because it helped me connect with people dedicated to sharing information about food sustainability and food justice (something I was not able to find on facebook). </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Follow me <a href="https://twitter.com/farmsforests">@farmsforests</a> if you are interested in connecting to food discussions! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">4) A Space for Guest Contributors</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Your interest in this blog has motivated others to contribute to this blog. In the 2.5 years this blog has been running we've had 12 guest contributions from six countries. Of those 12 contributions, 11 have been from males writers. I am conscious of this gender bias and would like to encourage more females to contribute their knowledge to my blog. So, for 2014, I encourage females to share their research and everyday food harvesting experiences<a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/p/guest-post-guidelines.html"> here</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">5) Outreach Beyond the Blog</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">My blog posts have been used in school and university classrooms as case studies. My most rewarding experience in 2013 was connecting with a grade 8 Global Studies class in Minnesota through my blog. Their teacher contacted me because she was interested in using <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2013/08/indigenous-peoples-rights-to-food-and.html">my blog post on the Coca leaf</a> as a case study on globalization and food justice. The students read the blog and then I talked with them via Skype. Their questions were thoughtful and their interest in food justice was inspiring. This experience was proof that we'll soon be hearing from a motivated new generation of food justice supporters.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Thank you again readers and I look forward to another year of blogging with you in 2014!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-44432521341108413752013-12-31T08:02:00.001-08:002013-12-31T08:03:20.086-08:00New Year's Eve Food Challenge: What Is This Fruit We've Been Eating Over The Holidays? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvM0wvGknk3eD9UB29DrSjv94CxuG2jmzPi-EPDYJ-pazw9hGj3Ofy42-L3K-mUBDZrqtEsu1xVcX2dCNTOAXgibMQULN48vE52ctv5c1LsC03lKjq3IntfpslDv0oNe9hrU5r6sJ9Sk/s1600/Fruit+pile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvM0wvGknk3eD9UB29DrSjv94CxuG2jmzPi-EPDYJ-pazw9hGj3Ofy42-L3K-mUBDZrqtEsu1xVcX2dCNTOAXgibMQULN48vE52ctv5c1LsC03lKjq3IntfpslDv0oNe9hrU5r6sJ9Sk/s400/Fruit+pile.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It's the holiday season and, for many of us, that means sharing food. I'm sure today, New Year's Eve, is no exception. In fact, I'm sure that the majority of readers have shared this mystery food at some point over the holiday. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Readers, can you tell us the name of this fruit? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">If you're stuck, here are some clues:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">How do you eat this fruit? This fruit is unique in we eat its pulp as well as its seeds. The pulp can be eaten raw but the seeds need to be roasted or at least dried in the sun before eating.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Where is this fruit from? It is native to Central America although it is grown all over the world in tropical areas. And, Ghana is one of the world's largest producers of this fruit.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Please share your answers in the comments section below!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-2688958121539276752013-12-20T05:16:00.002-08:002013-12-20T05:16:35.854-08:00Food Challenge: What is this Purple Neotropical Fruit? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtII_nigoOLco_DpZJMNxVGQ9teumRDpm8yhYw2z_yQIShVGAbLMbvl1p5-nmJChrQv1FbPsjkebdCEBxhLdGoCw4HwKGwbHT_kWdLb_gCE5rU80uIMe0m-ahIHSpChonKPW1jrAw86I/s1600/P1020527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtII_nigoOLco_DpZJMNxVGQ9teumRDpm8yhYw2z_yQIShVGAbLMbvl1p5-nmJChrQv1FbPsjkebdCEBxhLdGoCw4HwKGwbHT_kWdLb_gCE5rU80uIMe0m-ahIHSpChonKPW1jrAw86I/s400/P1020527.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Readers, here is our second food challenge: what are the round purple fruits pictured above in the foreground? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Please tell us what you think this fruit is by writing your guesses in the comments section at the bottom of this blog post. If you have tasted this fruit, please include where you ate it and what it tasted like. But, before you guess, I'll give you some more information. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This purple fruit is found all over the globe even though it is native to the American tropics. Although the exact origin of this species has not been reported, it appears to be native to southern Central America. Because this fruit is widely culitvated by humans, botanists refer to it as semi-domesticated, meaning the plants humans cultivate are very similar genetically to their wild plant relatives. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">But, you don't need to be a botanist to know what this fruit is. If you have visited a tropical country, I'm sure you have seen it. Here is a list of some areas where you can find this fruit: The Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobagao, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, French Guiana, Peru, Bolivia, Vietnam, India, and Singapore. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Eating this fruit is an art. People have developed unique ways to prepare it to avoid biting into its skin. This is because the skin produces a sticky and bitter white liquid that should not be eaten. I have only eaten the flesh of this fruit but people have reported that the bark of this fruit tree can also be used as a medicine. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Readers, with this information in mind, can you identify this fruit? </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-54201489358167291162013-12-12T05:51:00.003-08:002013-12-12T06:42:19.273-08:00The Ethnobotany of Costa Rica's Palms<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In Costa Rica, I am known as "chica del palmito" or, the heart of palm girl. I was given this nickname by heart of palm harvesters, national park employees, and univesrity professors while conducting research for my Masters degree and some how the name stuck. But my interest in palms runs deeper than heart of palm; palms are a group of plant species that provide unique sources of food and medicine for people all over the world. In this blog post, I will share a few ways people use palms for food, not only did I study this topic for my Masters research but it was also a part of my Ph.D. For more information on how people use palms, check out <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236886593_Notes_on_the_Ethnobotany_of_Costa_Ricas_palms">our article here</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Eating palm flowers </span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Palm inflorescence on top of chopped heart of palm</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Palm flowers are edible. But, because palm flowers are often very tiny, people harvest and eat the whole flowering structure, called an inflorescence (see picture on right). So instead of having palm flower salad, you can strir fry, boil, or roast the whole inflorescence. One of the species commonly eaten in rural costa rica is <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2012/02/food-in-unsuspecting-places-not-fruit.html"><i>Chamaedorea tepejilote</i></a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">While working with Indigenous people in Costa Rica, I learned that people eat palm flowers from many palm species. My favorite palm flower dish was prepared with inflorescences from the versatile peach palm (<i>Bactris gasipaes; </i>pictured above). I first tried this dish while <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2012/04/ye-u-coroma-my-house-in-coroma.html">living with a Bribri family</a> and learned the dish was a favorite of Bribri Elders. I like the fact that palm inflorescences are edible because palms produce many of them in their lifetimes; and, you do not have to chop down a whole tree to harvest them. I do require help, however, to harvest an inflorescence for palm species that grow tall. In the case of peach palm, chopping down an inflorecence requires a large pole and it requires careful attention to the stiff peach palm spines that can easily make harvesting unpleasant. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Drinking Palm wine </span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Making wine usually takes a lot of work, from smashing the grapes to fermenting the final product. But palm wine, on the other hand, can be harvested directly from the plant and does not require too much extra processing. Palm wine is basically the natural sap of the palm which is harvested and left to ferment. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Harvesting palm wine from the Coyol palm (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrocomia_aculeata">Acrocomia aculeata</a></i>) is popular in the Pacific side of Costa Rica as well as other areas of Central America. But, to harvest quality palm wine, farmers explained to me that you must work in concert with lunar cycles. To ensure a good harvest of wine you should extract palm sap three days before or after a full moon. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I first tried palm wine while driving through the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. During March and April you can buy this wine along the road side, but I chose to seek out a family who produced it at their home. Back in 2008, I was invited to join this family for a cold glass of off-white coloured palm sap. I had two options, with or without sugar. I opted for wine with no sugar added and surprisingly it had a sweet and tart taste. The idea of palm wine reminds me of maple syrup because it is a product produced entriely by a plant and its consumption requires only modest processing by people.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Eating palm hearts</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Palm hearts are a unique food that are<a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2011/07/heart-of-palm-part-i.html"> harvested from the inside of a palm tree stem</a>. Large-scale palm farms can be found in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Brazil and these farms supply canned heart of palm to supermarkets all over the world. Eating farmed heart of palm is like eating farmed bananas, these species are grown to be harvested and exported. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The most commonly farmed palm species is the <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/11/food-challenge-what-is-this-wild-fruit.html">peach palm</a> (<i>Bactris gasipaes</i>). But, in the tropics you can feast on multiple species of palm heart each with their own unique flavour. Some species are bitter and others are sweet, some even taste rich like butter. Many of these palm species are wild. Eating wild palm species is an activity that rural peoples have done for hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of years. Unfortunately, eating these unique wild species has caught on with some upscale businesses in Latin America and resulted in uncontrolled harvesting of wild species. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In Costa Rica, I worked on the issue of uncontrolled harvesting of palms that occur in forest areas. This is a particularly complex issue. Palms are often harvested from protected forests and by Costa Rican law this is illegal. This makes sense to me for people who are harvesting bags of hundreds of palm hearts to sell in high end restaurants; it does not make sense, to me, for people who harvest only a few palms to eat with their families. Currently, to my knowledge harvesting foods in protected forests in Costa Rica is still illegal and this is something that I have been <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-right-to-hunt-in-bribri-indigenous.html">analyzing with Indigenous peoples as part of my Ph.D</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-59294594665119756412013-12-01T13:52:00.000-08:002013-12-12T06:11:47.630-08:00Solving The Spice Mystery: Where Do Pepper, Turmeric, and Vanilla Come From?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Our global food system does a good job hiding how and where
our food is grown. Despite these tricks, we live in an era where we can find
out food origins using tools such as smart phone food labels. Still some foods
slip through the cracks. Spices are examples of those foods.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">A few years ago at a dinner party, we got to chatting about where
certain spices are produced. We made a bunch of <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2011/08/local-vs-global-pizza.html">pizzas from local ingredients</a>
(tomato sauce and cheese included) but we did not manage to source our salt and
pepper locally. We read that our sea salt was from Israel but we couldn’t find
out where our pepper came from (despite asking later at the shop we bought it
from). As we chatted further, most of us didn’t know what geographic region black
pepper was grown in or, for that mater, what a pepper plant looked like. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">To give spices the attention they deserve, I’m going to share
some of their interesting facts. I chose to talk about three spices that are
not particularly well labeled in the super markets I frequent: pepper, turmeric,
and vanilla; if you want me to talk about any others, just shoot me an email. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Black Pepper (<i>Piper nigrum</i>) </b></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pH1iHCaRjnO3seOcPQ79QDDI3Z1ekQnl0BdBCzG4jhBMA-H3gGnBHsE9G2UsZYp5tK_zTtycinB9KRkQs7WMwQ-qTAwcF3HlHnMpAXWNsyYkqC0d5z0noHfPAme0RC2Dq97oiqAmtUk/s1600/Pepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pH1iHCaRjnO3seOcPQ79QDDI3Z1ekQnl0BdBCzG4jhBMA-H3gGnBHsE9G2UsZYp5tK_zTtycinB9KRkQs7WMwQ-qTAwcF3HlHnMpAXWNsyYkqC0d5z0noHfPAme0RC2Dq97oiqAmtUk/s320/Pepper.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Black pepper is a fruit that grows on a small shrub in
bunches and it comes from a family of plants called Piperaceae. Green
peppercorns are unripe fruits from the same black pepper plants. This species
is native to South India and it is commonly grown in the Kerala state. Major
producers of pepper include: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and
Vietnam. But, this plant grows in other regions too, such as Costa Rica. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Turmeric (C<i>urcuma longa</i>)</b></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobTmGtngFJ0g2AHLDxTD5UkCyEIqiZKJehHX8jYstgUi0dZDADvikYQAblp9WdOmPxCoEZd9eVa4g1Zusts2N0zt_BrR5VpFC0XArT0BR1d669CLP7-qFKY6UTKaRpObrxS3wgGunHKM/s1600/640px-Sliced_Turmeric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobTmGtngFJ0g2AHLDxTD5UkCyEIqiZKJehHX8jYstgUi0dZDADvikYQAblp9WdOmPxCoEZd9eVa4g1Zusts2N0zt_BrR5VpFC0XArT0BR1d669CLP7-qFKY6UTKaRpObrxS3wgGunHKM/s320/640px-Sliced_Turmeric.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Turmeric is a root or rhizome that grows underneath the
ground. And, it looks a lot like ginger root. Many of us living outside of the
tropics don’t’ realize the edible part of turmeric grows under soil because we
buy it in powdered form. I was first introduced to turmeric root while living on
the south Caribbean of Costa Rica and I had a fresh source of this spice
growing in my backyard. Turmeric is not native to Costa Rica however, it is
native to the Southeast Asia region. Although turmeric’s place of origin of is
not identified in my botanical references, some botanists suggest it is native
to south India. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Like many spices, turmeric is both a food and a medicine.
Most of us know turmeric because it is a staple ingredient in Indian curry.
But, <a href="http://www.kew.org/plant-cultures/plants/turmeric_history.html">turmeric has been used as a medicine since at least 250 B.C.</a> Powder from
this root can be mixed with honey to soothe a dry cough, which is a remedy from
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda">Ayurvedic medicine</a>. In my family, we boil the fresh turmeric root with other
medicinals such as ginger and garlic and take it as medicine for colds. I
learned this recipe from a healer in Peru and my dad tweaked it by adding fresh
turmeric root to the mix. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Vanilla (<i>Vanilla planifolia</i>)</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyh5jXfEkx7iC4S8MVE5zs92QaB00WLXwn-vB6NUKaLSB7obTfAG-9jkGlu323OqF8WLiPpkeFzQEhUta92ONAmsUnLQRz7C_M3KKqBR6rXbLhYZnuFL1QwRlkLGW_-lJb5mz3mPt0-6o/s1600/Vanilla_planifolia112686509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyh5jXfEkx7iC4S8MVE5zs92QaB00WLXwn-vB6NUKaLSB7obTfAG-9jkGlu323OqF8WLiPpkeFzQEhUta92ONAmsUnLQRz7C_M3KKqBR6rXbLhYZnuFL1QwRlkLGW_-lJb5mz3mPt0-6o/s1600/Vanilla_planifolia112686509.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Vanilla is an orchid. I first saw this orchid while wading
in a palm swamp in the Peruvian Amazon. These are the same palm swamps where
you can spot Anaconda snakes, if you are lucky! Vanilla plants are stunning,
especially the one I saw flowering. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUgbDZp9MtDAaShFEdUhUSoLyzKe2M-MUdoSllktIDAT5euLQwk348KmgsROA4tLJiN1G5lE-qCfSWP_2MBscPDdg85YKYlh0NhtdOMg5ByZAnwvPVZFK0GzQCpoEdFeUw1QgvCWZBs4/s1600/Vanilla_fragrans_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUgbDZp9MtDAaShFEdUhUSoLyzKe2M-MUdoSllktIDAT5euLQwk348KmgsROA4tLJiN1G5lE-qCfSWP_2MBscPDdg85YKYlh0NhtdOMg5ByZAnwvPVZFK0GzQCpoEdFeUw1QgvCWZBs4/s320/Vanilla_fragrans_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">We don’t eat the flower, however; we eat extracts
from vanilla seeds or pods (pictured on right).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Vanilla is native to Mexico and was used by Indigenous
people such as the Aztec people to flavour a drink made from <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2012/12/eating-in-forest-2012-highlights_10.html">chocolate (cacao) beans</a>. The website of Kew, a famous botanical garden, reported that <a href="http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Vanilla-planifolia.htm">vanilla is also a medicine with anti-microbial and antioxidant properties</a>. Because of the
spice trade, vanilla has become a staple in kitchens all over the world. Spanish
people took vanilla to Europe in the 1500s. Much later in the 1800s vanilla was
taken to Madagascar. Today, most of the vanilla we buy is from Madagascar,
Indonesia, or Mexico.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">If you have spice queries, feel free to ask them here in comments
section of this blog post and I’ll try my best to find the answers. </span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-75737025747820690952013-11-25T05:49:00.000-08:002013-12-12T06:03:47.440-08:00Food Challenge: What is this Wild Fruit from Latin America?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorRDMG17SecXcGvze5MISDoGFoGA_GlFKvVmi1zvESEmC1g8-lPubYIKpEIRpS9HcEtMzGqe1fTiR1le9ZqYZur0psaUW-v1-19mH9IU-fTLrj_zR6YAamNuXOgl4vPMBimVhEKZtS2I/s1600/Food+Challenge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorRDMG17SecXcGvze5MISDoGFoGA_GlFKvVmi1zvESEmC1g8-lPubYIKpEIRpS9HcEtMzGqe1fTiR1le9ZqYZur0psaUW-v1-19mH9IU-fTLrj_zR6YAamNuXOgl4vPMBimVhEKZtS2I/s400/Food+Challenge.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This fruit is one of the most important foods used by Indigenous
peoples in Latin America. Recent nutritional studies have described this fruit
as a source of: protein, fat, powerful antioxidants, and many micronutrients, including selenium the nutrient famous for its mood enhancing potential. And,
this fruit is not only enjoyed by humans but by animals such as chickens,
squirrels, peccaries and paca. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Readers, what is this fruit? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Please share your answers in the comments section below (if you have problems signing in to comment, let me know). Don’t
forget to tell us how you learned about this fruit. If you’ve tried it, tell us what it tastes like too. </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-1706554339635703022013-10-20T09:31:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:04:30.778-08:00Guest Post: Conservation Policy and Rights to Hunt in the Bribri Indigenous Territory, Costa Rica<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><i>In response to my last post on <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2013/09/a-right-to-hunt-in-bribri-indigenous.html">Bribri Hunting Rights in Costa Rica</a> my colleague, Jacy Bernath-Plaisted, wrote a thoughful response:</i> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Costa Rica’s national
parks system is frequently cited as a great <a href="ftp://ftp.puce.edu.ec/Facultades/CienciasHumanas/Ecoturismo/ArticulosTurismo/Art%C3%ADculos%20cient%C3%ADficos/Ecoturismo%20y%20la%20Conservacion%20biodiversidad/pasado_presente_futuro_areas_protegidas_costa_rica.pdf">success story in the struggle for conservation in developing nations</a>. However, the development of these
preserves has brought conservation into conflict with Costa Rica’s Indigenous
peoples. One recent instance of this has been the institution of a national
<a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2013/09/a-right-to-hunt-in-bribri-indigenous.html">hunting ban on the ancestral lands of the Bribri people</a>. While
this may be a well-intended attempt to promote conservation, it is a mistake to
enforce blanket national policies on land belonging native peoples. Instead, I
argue that a more multi-faceted, context specific kind of management is
required both to preserve biodiversity and the rights of Costa Rica’s Indigenous peoples.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kNw0kyi6i-1ZKd0LsGs36YO4h5xHeSGVCW3fEL1xJxiJgNmx4bOnfm7Z7PvBvT8VQIDa-KDx4RFbCHYNmt9g0DZSaBP3bboMwyL55-NZGJUMogOLPUe0rnY7zB13CpMtfDVJdLmXFWM/s1600/00010j.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kNw0kyi6i-1ZKd0LsGs36YO4h5xHeSGVCW3fEL1xJxiJgNmx4bOnfm7Z7PvBvT8VQIDa-KDx4RFbCHYNmt9g0DZSaBP3bboMwyL55-NZGJUMogOLPUe0rnY7zB13CpMtfDVJdLmXFWM/s320/00010j.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A - The Bribri Talamanca Territory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">The
implementation of the national hunting ban on Bribri lands is problematic for
two reasons.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">The first is quite
straightforward: Costa Rica has ratified </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C169">C169</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">, a legally binding international
document that guarantees Indigenous peoples the right to utilize natural resources
on their own lands, as well as participate in management decisions regarding
those resources. Therefore, by enforcing the hunting ban on Bribri
land, the Costa Rican government has acted contrary to laws of its own making. The
problem is further compounded when one considers that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><a href="http://usaidlandtenure.net/sites/default/files/USAID_Land_Tenure_2012_Liberia_Course_Module_3_Indigenous_Peoples_Issue_Brief.pdf">land ownership and use are often essential in the self-identification of Indigenous peoples</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">, and
that hunting plays an integral role in traditional Bribri culture and
spirituality. It is neither ethical nor likely to foster good
relations to disregard these</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">concerns. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCph-myPetec2NkQDXfoPkNt-BigWBWvpAAlBoBkv9SXpf7HI4r_xgEJ8SId0LWrAeRHqNe2DJ2pEgpS5xuZ3BfIVdgjVv13SzQSdCzlpRPs0JDRqcbNjPnCticPh7fp3ArWsROIf8Vg/s1600/Armadillo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCph-myPetec2NkQDXfoPkNt-BigWBWvpAAlBoBkv9SXpf7HI4r_xgEJ8SId0LWrAeRHqNe2DJ2pEgpS5xuZ3BfIVdgjVv13SzQSdCzlpRPs0JDRqcbNjPnCticPh7fp3ArWsROIf8Vg/s320/Armadillo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Still, this is not to say that the idea
of restricting hunting is wholly inappropriate. Generally speaking, the
national hunting ban can be viewed as a positive venture. For example, Costa
Rica’s protective environmental policies have already contributed to the
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.widecast.org/What/Country/CostaRica/Docs/Troeng_and_Rankin_2005_Green_turtles_rising_at_Tortuguero.pdf">recovery of endangered species such as the Green turtle</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">. A hunting ban is an appropriate policy on land owned by the Costa Rican
government where populations are higher, cultural norms are different, and
presumably, there is an overhunting problem. Yet, it is not clear that Bribri
land fits any of these criteria. In fact, there does not appear to be research
available on whether or not biodiversity is in jeopardy on these lands at all. A
more fruitful, multi-management, approach to conservation on indigenous lands
might look like this: 1) prevent outsiders from hunting on Bribri land, 2)
allow the Bribri to continue traditional hunting of non-threatened species on
their lands, and 3) determine which species on Bribri land may be at risk and engage
the community in a dialogue regarding the voluntary cessation of hunting on
those species. This approach would not only preserve the rights and dignity of
the Bribri, but would also likely prove more effective in preserving
biodiversity. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><a href="http://sfaa.metapress.com/content/eum89efhdyvbkjlg/">Schelhas and Pfeffer (2005)</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> found that engaging Indigenous and rural
peoples in a discourse about environmental issues changed their beliefs and
left them more willing to cooperate with conservation efforts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Regardless,
those who are deeply concerned about conservation may find this process too
slow, and perhaps too lenient with respect to the hunting of endangered
species; it could be argued that hunting these species for recreational
purposes is never acceptable. This point of view is not unreasonable. However,
the reality is, the hunting ban is nearly impossible to enforce on native
lands, both because of the rugged nature of the land, and lack of manpower.
Presently, the <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2013/09/a-right-to-hunt-in-bribri-indigenous.html">hunting ban has not stopped hunting on Bribri land</a>.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Though there is good reason to enforce strong national
polices with respect to conservation, it must be recognized that national
policies are not always optimal at the local level. In such cases, more
specific policies built on cooperation and mutual respect between government
and communities are essential to a positive outcome. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtoce-S5ksDS91Sod8ZMsr7euOFWV8dFaExLnEOJ1s5Ak2HkHMcf5FCc-jnnqTI-0Ld8E3ykpQ0SY_wn1-gvORweiJVQQc6K21Gyq9xdDRIKnUc2mHadhalHRMCvc4oyWYToBAharpmU/s1600/jacy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtoce-S5ksDS91Sod8ZMsr7euOFWV8dFaExLnEOJ1s5Ak2HkHMcf5FCc-jnnqTI-0Ld8E3ykpQ0SY_wn1-gvORweiJVQQc6K21Gyq9xdDRIKnUc2mHadhalHRMCvc4oyWYToBAharpmU/s1600/jacy.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>My name is
Jacy Bernath-Plaisted, and I’m currently studying for my masters in natural
resource management at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Though my
undergraduate background is in creative writing and philosophy, I am primarily
an avian ecologist and my present research focuses on the effects of energy
development on nest survival in prairie songbirds. </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Broadly
speaking, I feel that the most important applications of ecology are
conservation and sustainable development. The need to balance human interests
with those of non-human species is a persistent problem both in natural
resource management and in my personal life, and I believe that conservation
will only succeed as an inclusive process where stakeholders are given proper
incentives. </i></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-88352224468962017482013-09-19T07:38:00.000-07:002014-01-21T06:49:15.098-08:00A Right to Hunt in the Bribri Indigenous Territory, Talamanca, Costa Rica <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqephK2eFb7WJvJ1wnNToWkuVWdwe2BT2zfisM1KC42ljLhgAAZmpv4ILLDp5HkxtfLnQbyU7UtTSjctHd27bJ693nU3OAyoeXDN21lYtCZG8Od5htBO8kkRCO6Esiwo-nd0BnROAT8g/s1600/Photo+A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqephK2eFb7WJvJ1wnNToWkuVWdwe2BT2zfisM1KC42ljLhgAAZmpv4ILLDp5HkxtfLnQbyU7UtTSjctHd27bJ693nU3OAyoeXDN21lYtCZG8Od5htBO8kkRCO6Esiwo-nd0BnROAT8g/s400/Photo+A.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In
2012, I lived in <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.ca/2012/04/ye-u-coroma-my-house-in-coroma.html">Talamanca, Costa Rica</a>. There, I was fortunate to
collaborate with a group of women and men who taught me about living off the
land. These are the people who have taught me most about Indigenous rights,
particularly those rights related to the management of natural resources and
food.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOtuaU0N1M9rV7UUInNUT8ii3aK2S_rnKTpLBUqPuU9u_hny5cKqyy9skcB1jr5a1l8034rYlpQV_P9PVmJ2H5OlbDX5LLh6DLR6EK24UV3NyakKV5F7RhEQ_P6A3ZDmQI5fjty0G5Aw/s1600/Photo+B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOtuaU0N1M9rV7UUInNUT8ii3aK2S_rnKTpLBUqPuU9u_hny5cKqyy9skcB1jr5a1l8034rYlpQV_P9PVmJ2H5OlbDX5LLh6DLR6EK24UV3NyakKV5F7RhEQ_P6A3ZDmQI5fjty0G5Aw/s320/Photo+B.jpeg" height="296" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Courtesy of Google Maps</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">The
Bribri people have lived in Talamanca since time immemorial. In 1977, the Costa
Rican government created a <i>Reserva Indigena</i> for the Talamanca Bribri
people (</span>43,690 hectares<span style="color: #00000a;">) and appointed local governments for this Bribri
Territory. In 1982, “La Amistad International Park” was created bordering and
overlapping with the Bribri Indigenous Territory. Also in 1982, La Amistad International
Park and the Bribri Territory were proclaimed a <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/205/">United Nations Biosphere Reserve called La Reserva Biosfera La Amistad</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoe0GgkLNxEp2ZC_sPZiy8zEo_ddA1kaLYZ4BsM6cElrxv7ZLoERYTNQIpMEMyLy3ZC4wsj8NIHDQwMlTPvI22Rie__7FV5X_q2nE4xQNYRupnYsjGrg0ZMnmnpipPZsNuSikBfyqlBvU/s1600/meat+with+ar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoe0GgkLNxEp2ZC_sPZiy8zEo_ddA1kaLYZ4BsM6cElrxv7ZLoERYTNQIpMEMyLy3ZC4wsj8NIHDQwMlTPvI22Rie__7FV5X_q2nE4xQNYRupnYsjGrg0ZMnmnpipPZsNuSikBfyqlBvU/s320/meat+with+ar.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">In 2012, I worked with people from the </span>Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> community. For many of my colleagues in this community hunting was a way of life. People hunted for
many reasons that are themselves are connected. For example, hunting was a way of finding foods
and medicines but it was also recreation. In addition, walking hunting paths was a way of teaching youth about the land. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a;">My colleagues taught me that</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">hunting was as a process whereby people communicate with beings in other worlds to ask permission to take animals.
These beings include </span>Sibö̀<span style="color: #00000a;"> (the creator) and other beings that protect animals.
Asking permission to hunt is one way to show respect for </span>Sibö̀<span style="color: #00000a;"> and other beings. Another way of respecting these beings
is to hunt only what they need for food or medicine. For example, the </span>Kalom
ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> residents I worked with, both young and Elder,
explained that they did not hunt and sell forest meat. Instead, animals are
hunted for household consumption and sharing among families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> residents' access to hunting was affected by the hunting
law that was implemented when the La Amistad protected area was created. This hunting law has resulted in a management plant that dictates what people can hunt, where they can hunt, and how hunting should take place. Specifically, there is only one area of the protected area where Bribri hunting is permitted and even then, they can only hunt animals that are not endangered and they can only hunt using traditional bow and arrow techniques; this despite the fact that many people use rifles and have done so for many years. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">Bribri people have acted differently towards protected area hunting regulation. For example, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">some of my colleagues explained to me that the
hunting ban was the reason why they no longer hunt. A few female colleagues shared that because of these laws they are scared to send their sons out to hunt. For other residents, the
hunting ban did not stop them from hunting. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LD120I6O0iTDS7Bm5pNiKTtS-gSI2tNTHdjNlqXKb6q_coDj_38o0c4sYDdDL-wUzVB7vKm6eJg9GkBwKDpqWkFZBuha2K_unD3MsIMLbASKSuzN4jxG0qF1zs3JQAxMP2TGZW9L9XQ/s320/Armadillo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LD120I6O0iTDS7Bm5pNiKTtS-gSI2tNTHdjNlqXKb6q_coDj_38o0c4sYDdDL-wUzVB7vKm6eJg9GkBwKDpqWkFZBuha2K_unD3MsIMLbASKSuzN4jxG0qF1zs3JQAxMP2TGZW9L9XQ/s320/Armadillo.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Generally speaking, the hunting ban
was not well received. One reason it was not well received was because it was</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;"> imposition on Bribri people's <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx">rights to food.</a> I learned how Bribri people have their own ways of
thinking about hunting and living off the land that are different from the
Costa Rican government's ways of managing forests. In fact, </span>Kalom ã<span style="color: #00000a;">
Elders created what they call the original hunting laws. These original hunting
laws </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">resulted from meetings among Bribri Elders who had convened to talk about hunting rules, based on Bribri values, because of their concern about changes in animal populations in their communities. Although Elders hunting laws </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">were being observed in </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Kalom ã when </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #00000a; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">the Costa Rican government hunting ban went
into effect, these Elders laws were not considered in protected area managment. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Another
reason hunting bans have not been well received is because they minimize the
importance of traditional authority and Indigenous decision-making mechanisms. The
original Elder hunting laws are a case in point. Although these Bribri laws
existed before the Costa Rican state hunting ban, the Elders laws,
recommendations, and teachings were not considered in the Costa Rican state
legislation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #00000a;">On
the other hand, there are some </span>Kalom
ã<span style="color: #00000a;"> residents that support aspects of the hunting
ban. For example, one Elder explained that government laws might help to
control hunting by people who live outside of Coroma but go there to hunt
animal meat for sale; this Elder made it clear that these laws should, however,
not be applied to all aspects of Indigenous hunting because hunting, sharing,
and eating forest meat is part of what it means to be Bribri. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">When
I gave a presentation on this topic earlier this year at the <a href="http://atbc2013.org/">Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC)</a> conference in San Jose, Costa Rica, I received both positive and negative feedback. Some conference
attendees were keen to discuss how to best respect the rights to food of Bribri people
living in and around protected areas. Other
attendees were concerned that Indigenous rights to food were not compatible
with aspects of biodiversity conservation legislation. One attendee said it was
unlikely that conservation biologists would ever accept hunting in protected
areas, especially when endangered species are being hunted. Although the
hunting of endangered species is a valid concern, it is important to
acknowledge that hunting is a <a href="http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C169">right for Indigenous people in Costa Rica</a>. And, this right
is not limited to the act of hunting; it includes the right to making decisions
about how to manage Bribri food systems. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00000a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">All
too often we focus on one way of looking at land-use. In the case of my recent
conference experience, I learned that many people strongly associate protected
forests with conservation of biological species. So, how can we have a
discussion about different ways of understanding the land? One way is to think
about it from a human rights perspective. As a researcher, it is my goal to use
my research to help the public become familiar with human rights to land, to
food, and to decision-making. And, I hope the more familiar we are with human
rights policies, the better chance we have of convincing policy makers to act
on them.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-rYlXUrfDBfA%2FUjr91vIbu9I%2FAAAAAAAAApM%2FR4sWhzK9L7A%2Fs320%2FArmadillo.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LD120I6O0iTDS7Bm5pNiKTtS-gSI2tNTHdjNlqXKb6q_coDj_38o0c4sYDdDL-wUzVB7vKm6eJg9GkBwKDpqWkFZBuha2K_unD3MsIMLbASKSuzN4jxG0qF1zs3JQAxMP2TGZW9L9XQ/s320/Armadillo.JPG" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-67277756221985081792013-08-19T11:20:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:05:08.601-08:00Indigenous Peoples’ Rights to Food and the Coca-Cola Industry <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvnIp5I6GpGr4OEvvU7KBzPd9EYWlhb4ANr9F9v-2xHZf-e3HNTJhijZAG0IV92ELG-NZWX6E0Ul_6NqUIdr7oVegYUCvfmBMoKHuXe29SuOcKdTfBXtNVf3U32Ck7Wt4ekIzM5VwEPc/s1600/Folha_de_coca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvnIp5I6GpGr4OEvvU7KBzPd9EYWlhb4ANr9F9v-2xHZf-e3HNTJhijZAG0IV92ELG-NZWX6E0Ul_6NqUIdr7oVegYUCvfmBMoKHuXe29SuOcKdTfBXtNVf3U32Ck7Wt4ekIzM5VwEPc/s400/Folha_de_coca.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Coca Leaf (courtesy of Marcello Casal Jr, </span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFolha_de_coca.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">wikimedia commons</span></a>)</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">
grew up drinking Coke. Now that I am more health conscious, I don’t drink Coca-Cola
or any other drinks that have a long list of ingredients I can't identify, let
alone pronounce. My interest in Indigenous peoples rights to food revealed
another reason to turn down a can of coke. Coca-Cola production is part of a
history that has empowered Western companies at the expense of Indigenous
people and their rights to culturally important food and medicine. Let me
explain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Coca-Cola
is a drink that entered the global market economy in 1886. At that time it was
a drink made of cocaine, caffeine, cola nut extracts, and carbonated water. In
1903, there were some concerns raised about putting cocaine in soda. So, the
cocaine in Coca-Cola was replaced by a de-cocainized flavouring ingredient. Both
the cocaine and de-cocainized ingredient come from the leaves of a plant called
Coca native to the South American Andes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The
coca plant is not the same as the drug cocaine. Coca is a plant </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/01/yerba-mate-mate-de-coca-what-are-they.html">Erythroxylum coca</a></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> and cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in this plant. To
produce the drug called cocaine you need large amounts of coca leaves (e.g., 1
kilo of cocaine requires 2-3 hundred kilos of coca leaf). Cocaine production
also requires many other harmful chemicals, including sulphuric acid, petrol,
and caustic soda. Coca leaves contain a very small amount of the naturally-occurring
alkaloid cocaine and this small amount does not induce toxicity or dependence,
<a href="http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00952997809029262">a 1978 scientific study reported</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcL2dtDgH51BwaSfCbeRNLIXQQNVpUg4rgL6QGD7Hg35PBCItqdA9vn4lLTacFRVT3-2zUIsXgeVOGIu9w3uADRR0bg4F1jVplc6W4ASKrcFeBgJ0Pqnm6LVXa6bVgTIDxK9FaY3tk9M/s1600/south+america002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcL2dtDgH51BwaSfCbeRNLIXQQNVpUg4rgL6QGD7Hg35PBCItqdA9vn4lLTacFRVT3-2zUIsXgeVOGIu9w3uADRR0bg4F1jVplc6W4ASKrcFeBgJ0Pqnm6LVXa6bVgTIDxK9FaY3tk9M/s400/south+america002.jpg" width="262" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Indigenous
peoples of the Andes make use of coca leaves in their natural form, without
chemical processing. For example, the Quechua, Aymara, and Kogi people use the
coca leaf for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. I will never forget a skilled
Bolivian healer who cured me with coca leaves. I had been suffering from a
severe allergic reaction to my contact with alpaca fur (picture on the right). This allergy persisted for
weeks and Western medicine was not helping. This healer, in La Paz Bolivia, taught me to chew the coca leaf to extract its natural anesthetic properties
and to place the partially chewed leaf where my allergy was manifesting. Within a few minutes I felt relief and within a few days my
allergic reaction was almost invisible. Unfortunately, stories such my own,
which reveal coca as a powerful medicine, have been dwarfed by the global
discourse equating the coca plant with chemically processed drugs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">One
of the reasons we equate the coca plant with the drug cocaine is because the
coca leaf has been classified as such in international conventions. In 1961,
the <a href="http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/single-convention.html">United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Substances</a> classified the coca
leaf a Schedule I substance and since then its production, use, and trade
have been under very strict regulation. For countries that signed onto this UN
convention - such as Bolivia - this strict regulation has infiltrated all
aspects of peoples’ coca use: from its sale and trade to Indigenous peoples'
rights to chew coca leaves for medicinal purposes. Angela Heitzeneder (2010),
scholar on cultural rights of Indigenous people in international law, described
this UN convention as a global "intolerance toward the essential element
of Andean traditional society and cosmology". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">If
this convention did not protect the right of Indigenous peoples to use coca,
surely nobody else could use it either, right? Actually, no. The United Nation’s
convention made sure that the famous soda pop Coca-Cola, and the companies
involved in its production, were able to continue harvesting, using, and
distributing coca. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The
use of coca leaves for the production of the Coca-Cola flavouring agent is a
permanent exception to the international prohibition against coca. The Stephan
Company of Maywood in New Jersey imports around 175,000 kg of coca leaves from
Trujillo, Peru each year to produce flavoured chemicals for Coke. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I
have struggled to make sense of this. The cultural rights to use coca for
ceremony and health were ignored in the 1961 UN convention on narcotics while
the rights to produce a soda pop were protected? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">If
you remember, the Coca-Cola company buys de-cocainized extracts from coca
leaves, a.k.a., "de-cocainized flavour essence", from the Stephan
Company of Maywood in New Jersey. In the process of de-cocainizing, the Maywood
company end up with cocaine by-product. Believe it or not, this U.S. company also
has rights to sell this extracted cocaine to international medical
practitioners to be used as an anesthetic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It
is hard to believe that U.S. companies have been profiting from the flavour and
medicinal uses of coca while Indigenous People have been internationally denied
the right to do so. This scenario is even harder to believe knowing that both the
Coca-Cola company and western medical practitioners would not know the health
properties of Coca without the knowledge and skills of Indigenous people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In
2011 the Bolivian President Evo Morales challenged what has been called a
“historical error and violation of Indigenous rights” by <a href="http://www.wola.org/news/bolivia_withdraws_from_the_un_single_convention_on_narcotic_drugs">Martin Jelsm, the director of The Transnational Institute’s Drugs and Democracy program</a>. Evo
Morales withdrew from the 1961 UN convention in part because of his opposition
to the convention’s obligation that “coca leaf chewing must be abolished”. Just
this year, Bolivia celebrated their <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/08/bolivian-coca_n_3240175.html">re-entry into the UN convention</a> with an
exception made to respect Bolivian peoples’ coca chewing practices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">With
the exception of Bolivia’s small victory, Indigenous peoples rights to use and
benefit from a cultural plant are still being infringed upon. At the same time
large U.S. companies are encouraged to use, distribute, and make towering
profits from the coca industry. I believe this disparity is perhaps the most
powerful reason to turn down a can of Coca-Cola. In the meantime, I’ll wait for <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/14/coca-colla-real-thing-bolivia">Bolivia’s Coca-Colla</a> to hit Canadian markets. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heitzeneder, A. 2010. The Coca-leaf: Miracle good or social menace? Masters Thesis, Universitat wien, accessed at: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2c2cfb;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%22">http://othes.univie.ac.at/12287/1/2010-11-04_0421153.pdf</a></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-65199441146343520312013-08-05T04:00:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:12:25.952-08:00Corn Smut, Cuitlacoche or Mexican Truffle, is there a difference? <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9EyZ4axbN0ymB0dsvrq2kHnLOY_xSlpBp-WPG_wr6EpOiL79yGfILM5KZsX4DSEOX3TwEr_GusCrNUyf5nKRoY51qc_rUoVSpZch9ywuG2MABQb9wIE0bf3XuIOYbmQonHYLBKu-eJ8/s1600/334px-Huitlacoche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9EyZ4axbN0ymB0dsvrq2kHnLOY_xSlpBp-WPG_wr6EpOiL79yGfILM5KZsX4DSEOX3TwEr_GusCrNUyf5nKRoY51qc_rUoVSpZch9ywuG2MABQb9wIE0bf3XuIOYbmQonHYLBKu-eJ8/s400/334px-Huitlacoche.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Huitlacoche.jpg">Stu Spivak</a>, wikimedia commons</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On August 9th the world will celebrate the United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. I am celebrating early and paying my deep respects to the foods Indigenous farmers developed. One of those foods is a fungus called Cuitlacoche. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you have eaten in Mexico, you may have tried this tasty fungus creeping out of the ears of corn. Cuitlacoche (<i>Ustilago maydis</i>), is pronounced cuitla-KO-che or Huitlacoche (with a silent H). The Spanish name Cuitacoche is adapted from a Nahuatl name and my internet searches tell me the closest literal English translation for this word might be something like "Sleeping/Hibernating Dirt/Excrement". </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One reason why this Nahuatl name is important is because it tells us about this fungus's cultural roots. Nahuatl is the language of Nahua peoples (also known as Aztec people) whose speakers reside mainly in communities of Central Mexico.The Nahua were likely one of the first peoples to describe the fungus Cuitlacoche. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I must disclose, the first time I tried Cuitlacoche was in Washington D.C., not in Mexico. Like many big cities, the D.C. foodscape is diverse and finding a Cuitlacoche quesadilla was surprisingly easy. All I had to do was take a trip to Adams Morgan and there I was quickly drawn into a quaint Mexican restaurant adorned with beautiful posters of Puebla and Pozole. When I saw Cuitlacoche quesadillas on the menu, I took the plunge. While explaining that Cuitlacoche has a strong flavour, the owner politely tried to sway my decision to the tacos or the tortas mexicanas. I insisted on the Cuitlacoche. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taco-de-Huitlacoche.jpg">Cuauhtemoc Ramire</a>z, wikimedia commons </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had a tecate and talked to the owner about Colima, a small state in Mexico where I lived about 10 years ago. Shortly into our conversation, I was presented with Cuitlacoche fungus in between two handmade corn tortillas. If I didn't look close enough I could have mistaken it for black refried beans. Upon close inspection I noticed tiny yellow corn kernels mixed into a dark purple mash called Cuitlacoche. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I loved it, it had a hearty, earthy taste, it was not too overpowering, and it went surprisingly well with salsa and guacamole. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I ate, I wondered if my Cuitlacoche was grown locally or was shipped from Mexico. Although it may come as a surprise, Cuitlacoche is grown in the U.S. by many farmers, but not on purpose. Cuitlachoche in the U.S. is considered a disease called Corn Smut. Because Corn Smut is a U.S. pest, non-Indigenous farmers there spend their time thinking about killing, not cooking, this fungus. I felt safe to say the fungus on my plate in Washington D.C. was imported.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuitlacoche in a Oaxaca supermarket, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Huitlacoche_en_Soriana_Oaxaca_Mexico.jpg">wikimedia commons</a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of curiosity, I asked the owner where he gets his Cuitlacoche. "You can get anything in D.C.", he answered, looking shocked that I didn't know this fact. In Mexico, I had seen this fungus sold fresh, but he told me in D.C. it comes packaged, conveniently, in a can. This explains why you can order Cuitlacoche in many places and in many different dishes, including soups, crepes, and even fondues. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">foodies transform Indigenous food recipes, their food names can change. Food enthusiasts are looking for an English name, beyond Corn Smut, to describe Cuitlacoche. Mexican Truffle and Aztec Caviar have been suggested. I agree with foodies that the name Corn Smut does not sound appetizing, but what is wrong with the Nahuatl name? Why are we searching for names that detach foods from their Indigenous roots? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My vote is to keep the name Cuitlacoche. When Cuitlacoche becomes the Mexican Truffle we lose track of this fungus's history. The name Cuitlacoche links us to a people and a rich history of food tradtions. The name Mexican Truffle, like the label "Mexican Cuisine", tells us nothing about the diversity of foods and peoples within a region. The name Aztec Caviar is more culturally-descriptive. But the name Aztec Caviar still removes the Nahualt lanuage from the picture. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is something to be said for using an Indigenous word when ordering a food. When I ask for a Cuitlacoche quesadilla I articulate diversity using different sounds. When I hear these unique sounds, like "cui" or "tla", I am eager to learn the stories behind them. When I ask for Aztec Caviar, I can easily mistake this name for a quirky English label and not give a second thought to its first farmers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I eat, whether in a city or around a fire far from urban life, I remember Indigenous farmers. I remember the foods their ancestors developed and I respect the foods Indigenous farmers produce for us today. Without Indigenous peoples, none of us new-age foodies know about Cuitlacoche. Let's celebrate the World's Indigenous Peoples and call Indigenous foods by their first names. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Does anyone have a story about the Nahuatl word Cuitlacoche or about how this fungus is prepared by Nahua and other Indigenous peoples? If so, please share it in the comments section below. </i></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-38854154697636861912013-08-01T17:51:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:06:00.893-08:00Finding Wild Mushrooms: Foraging in Lee County, Alabama<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>893</o:Words> <o:Characters>5093</o:Characters> <o:Company>University of Manitoba </o:Company> <o:Lines>42</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>10</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>6254</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today we hear from Brian Folt. Inspired by tips on this blog, he took a foray close to his home in Alabama and stumbled upon </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cinnabar and Smooth Chanterelles. He describes the experience below while providing many descriptive tips for those of us beginning to forage. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuUxgWhneokendMDnCWfUTSF2LukPTB33iaqEA47f5TzOpu8M-maIZPfTneqVbnxgy22y-BTkTP4NHagONw2la59YQ-Wyz5EXnO1RG8VA527jVWd7LeTxIaAEOn-0bgNyXSl2vGlM_0I/s1600/me_18jun12_1a_cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuUxgWhneokendMDnCWfUTSF2LukPTB33iaqEA47f5TzOpu8M-maIZPfTneqVbnxgy22y-BTkTP4NHagONw2la59YQ-Wyz5EXnO1RG8VA527jVWd7LeTxIaAEOn-0bgNyXSl2vGlM_0I/s320/me_18jun12_1a_cropped.JPG" width="227" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Brian Folt is a Ph.D. student at Auburn University, where he studies amphibian and reptile ecology. Recently he has also become interested in organic farming and sustainable eating. Here he shares his recent experiences foraging and cooking local edible mushrooms from Lee County, Alabama. All photographs in the post are Brian’s, and if you have questions or comments please leave them in the comments section at the end of the post.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Admittedly, I have little experience foraging for mushrooms. While attending college at Ohio University in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio, I was fortunate to stumble upon morels (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Morchella</i> sp.) on a few occasions. These experiences were sparse over the years, and usually only incidentally while out searching for vertebrate wildlife. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In recent years, I have since moved to Auburn, Alabama, and I have yet to make a concerted effort to forage for edible mushrooms in the area. Auburn sits at the southwestern terminus of the Piedmont physiographic province, just above the Coastal Plain. Word of the mouth around here suggests that morels are much less common here relative to other areas of Appalachia. However, my friend <a href="http://imakemybeer.blogspot.com/">Chris Matechik</a> recently found morels in the Auburn City limits, and my interest on the subject was slightly revived. We had discussed going out mushroom hunting together a number of times over beers, but neither of us had taken the initiative to coordinate the effort. (Such is the case with the vast majority of plans hatched from alcohol.) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/07/finding-wild-mushrooms-tips-from_24.html">Then I caught wind that chanterelles are fruiting in abundance just a few miles away near Athens, Georgia</a>. We have been enjoying a wet summer in the Auburn area as well, and, given Sean’s nice blog post, I figured conditions might be favorable for finding a formidable mushroom haul around these parts. So, I sent Matechek a message and tried to rally a tag-team mushroom hunting mission. Chris is a tremendous <a href="http://imakemybeer.blogspot.com/2013/06/wild-leeks-in-talladega.html">natural historian who also maintains interests in foraging for plants and mushrooms</a>. Whenever I get out into the field with him, I always enjoy his wide base of knowledge, and I was hoping to lean on and learn from his mushroom identification skills. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With Sean’s <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/07/finding-wild-mushrooms-tips-from_24.html">tips</a> in mind, Chris and I visited a tract of secondary forest characterized by mixed deciduous and evergreen tree species, located within spitting distance of our homes. Immediately upon arrival we hit pay dirt when Chris spotted an aggregation of Cinnabar Chanterelles (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cantharellus cinnabarinus</i>) poking their caps up through the odd pine needle. He explained to me that this species can at least partially be identified by its red coloration and decurrent gills beneath the cap that transition smoothly onto the stem. As I understand it, these gills are characterized as ‘false gills’, because these tissues are derived from the same tissues as the cap (but perhaps others have more correct or thorough understanding of this and can comment below). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also seems this red coloration may result from the presence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotenoid">carotenoid</a> compounds.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cinnabar Chanterelles (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cantharellus cinnabarinus</i>)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shortly thereafter we continued through the forest, following a gently worn trail through a riparian zone until transitioning into a fairly open hillside pine forest. At this point, we were excited to note the odd Smooth Chanterelle (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cantharellus lateritius</i>)! And as Chris told me, when you find one of these mushrooms, keep a keen eye out for more! At our site, these mushrooms were patchily distributed throughout the forest in small aggregations of 5–10 fruiting bodies, and over the course of twenty minutes we both collected a nice haul. Unlike the tastier Golden Chanterelle (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cantharellus cibarius</i>), the Smooth Chanterelle lacks definitive gills and has a smooth surface under the caps. We selected the fresh, clean fruiting bodies and removed them by clipping at the stem base with a pocket knife. A small brush can be used to gently detach any dirt that may be on the ‘shroom. We avoided older, decaying individuals, in hopes that they would reproduce and continue the population at this site. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chris and I returned to our respective homes, and, after an afternoon siesta, we reconvened at my place to cook up our catch. We sautéed the mushrooms in olive oil along with white onions and garlic, and further cooked them in vegetable stock and cream. We mixed this sauce into cooked spaghetti, adding lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and added a few tomato slices for more substance. The cream and vegetable stock were organic, and the tomatoes were organically grown from my garden. Our recipe was loosely adapted from <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Morel-and-Asparagus-Spaghetti">here</a>. I will say the lemon juice was a choice addition, offering a welcomed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">zing</i> to the flavor, but the mushrooms themselves really shined throughout the meal, providing a veritable feast of flavor and texture to my tongue.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We enjoyed this fine meal with a bottle of Chris’ home-made muscadine wine, a beverage produced from three local wild graps: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vitis rotundifolia</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vitis munsonia</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vitus volpes</i>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After using about half our catch in the above pasta dish, we dried the remaining mushrooms in a dehydrator and are saving them for a future meal. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In conclusion, this exercise was an extremely fun and fruitful use of my Saturday afternoon. I learned much about the natural history of the regional fungi fauna, particularly those delectable edibles, and I hope to expand on this base with more experiences in the future. In particular, I am told that Cinnabar Chanterelles fruit during late summer and fall, so I am optimistic to cross paths with this species again here shortly. Once again, thanks are also deserved to Sean Sterrett, whose recent post inspired me to initiate our search, and Olivia Sylvester for maintaining this fascinating blog.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-3326657881107688852013-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:05:40.123-08:00Finding Wild Mushrooms: Tips from Experienced Foragers III<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Out in the country with my dad almost 30 years ago (Alberta, Canada)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Our next mushroom forager is Gerald Sylvester, my dad. He is a retired teacher and has been a dedicated mushroom foraging for 7+ years. I have Gerry to thank for cultivating my interest in mushroom picking, an activity we did in the summer in Alberta and Ontario. Here Gerry shared some tips from his mushroom expeditions in Alberta as well as a family favorite recipe "Mushrooms on Toast"; please write any questions for Gerry in the comments section at the end of this post. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;">Want to learn more about foraging in other regions? Check out these posts from foragers in <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/07/finding-wild-mushrooms-tips-from.html">Washington</a> and <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/07/finding-wild-mushrooms-tips-from_24.html">Georgia</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>1. Can you describe the process of selecting
the right mushroom foraging spot in Alberta?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The spot I use was found by
accident, I was on a camping weekend with some friends and we went out to
Fallen Timber Campground in the Waiporous region north west of Calgary (about
65 kilometers from my house). A family was there going through the campground
with a basket picking mushrooms. I followed them and talked to the
father. </span><br />
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There are also foraging spots right in the city of Calgary. A tennis player I know mentioned that there are some morels growing only about two kilometer from my house. He has collected some, but on several foraging attempts, I had no luck finding any.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>2. Many people tell me they are afraid to go
picking because they don't know how to properly ID edible wild mushrooms. How
did you learn to ID edibles?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are a lot of poisonous
mushrooms out there and you have to be very careful. The family I that was
picking mushrooms with that day instructed me on 4 or 5 species, but I only
remembered two. They were Boletes and Chanterelles. Of these two, I have been more certain with boletes because they are unique once you have become acquainted with them. On the other hand, you have to look carefully with chanterelles because there are false chanterelles that look exactly like the real ones, and the false ones should not be eaten.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLifwIPHTy8h3uFQw4X3jXChBvNd9-6oCLBf9uBI8VCOneMCBzpD6MIsEwkbnqIfQjbBFIAX-0CRE3EpvOZmkHsGUruhq4z7ophjqA-5pvTt7xCyxt-WGTK0v9R80hs6FMO24VB9EVZpg/s1600/600px-King_Bolete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLifwIPHTy8h3uFQw4X3jXChBvNd9-6oCLBf9uBI8VCOneMCBzpD6MIsEwkbnqIfQjbBFIAX-0CRE3EpvOZmkHsGUruhq4z7ophjqA-5pvTt7xCyxt-WGTK0v9R80hs6FMO24VB9EVZpg/s400/600px-King_Bolete.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">King Bolete (Jason Hollinger, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Bolete.jpg">wikimedia commons</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>3. What kind of permits are required to harvest
wild mushrooms in Alberta?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As far as I know, there are
no permits required. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>4. Not many people forage for their own food,
so I'm wondering what are your motivations are to do so?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
I have been interested in
harvesting wild mushrooms for many years, but have always played it safe and
not taken any chances. Since I have had some successes, I am encouraged to
continue because it is thrilling to know that one may be able to live from
products found in the wild.</span><br />
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The reactions I get from family and friends about harvesting mushrooms vary. Some people would
never try wild mushrooms, and don’t want to know anything about them. Others are just as excited as I am. Since my first trip when I learned to I.D. Chanterelles and Boletes, I have continued to forage with friends. As a result I have learned to identify several other species, learned from others. They are: Coral Mushrooms, Hen or Chicken of the Woods, Shaggy Mane, Oyster Mushrooms, along with King Boletes and Chanterelles.</span><br />
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tsxNHgszbUgjeXbbNmHLBj_Q-J3NIvxghLif-f4K87r8aVVaKwx2N_h61q-2dIRXHfsYXTWk7wf8BYytyiLhuHdZOBdojzsceO1KM5SDAmVnxSTA3TFXdze1R15UaEDr06QSE4umq_M/s1600/800px-Hen-of-the-woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tsxNHgszbUgjeXbbNmHLBj_Q-J3NIvxghLif-f4K87r8aVVaKwx2N_h61q-2dIRXHfsYXTWk7wf8BYytyiLhuHdZOBdojzsceO1KM5SDAmVnxSTA3TFXdze1R15UaEDr06QSE4umq_M/s400/800px-Hen-of-the-woods.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hen of the Woods (<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hen-of-the-woods.jpg">wikimedia commons</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b>5. What do some of the wild mushrooms you pick
in Alberta taste like? </b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">There is a similarity in taste for a lot of
wild mushrooms, but then, chanterelles have a distinct aroma that is unique.
The texture of a lot of mushrooms are quite similar. Most people fry up the
mushrooms, so it is hard to distinguish differences. Boletes have a strong
flavor, and may have some effects on you after eating. In a few instances it
was the case for me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">My favorite mushroom recipe for wild and common
mushrooms is "Mushrooms on Toast"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">2 tbs olive oil in a frying pan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">1 tbs of butter or margarine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Fry up all the mushrooms cut into ½ inch halves
or quarters depending on the size you have,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Add some more oil and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Add 2 tbs of flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Start adding water to make a roux continually
cooking the mushrooms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Add pepper, possibly cayenne, or half a tbs of
a sambal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Onions can be fried along with the mushrooms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Hot peppers can be substituted for the cayenne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
You will end up with a thick creamy mushroom sauce that you spoon over a couple pieces of toast. Enjoy!</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-2363243923328859432013-07-24T12:03:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:06:23.338-08:00Finding Wild Mushrooms: Tips from Experienced Foragers II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAiqcD8bc4B2kQKwbemk_4iHLtBBABg4pmhRALgxGNDof_isnE74D3zmZqcZtOkUjjF4wrOwlIAEZuERA0zT2oA4HaF55z7SUgkE-PavgbDOE7t5MQdpvxvzRWzIVwzYanelhb3JII0w/s1600/IMG_2459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAiqcD8bc4B2kQKwbemk_4iHLtBBABg4pmhRALgxGNDof_isnE74D3zmZqcZtOkUjjF4wrOwlIAEZuERA0zT2oA4HaF55z7SUgkE-PavgbDOE7t5MQdpvxvzRWzIVwzYanelhb3JII0w/s320/IMG_2459.JPG" width="320" /></a><i>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today we have a mushroom foraging post from Sean Sterrett. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sean is an organic farmer, beer brewer, and a PhD Candidate </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">doing research on Turtle Ecology at UGA. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He shares his experiences road cruising for Chanterelles in Georgia as well as a delicious </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chanterelle Wine and Cream Sauce recipe; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">all photographs on the post are Sean's.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you have any questions for him, please write them in the comments section at the end of this post.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Can you describe the process of selecting the right mushroom foraging spot?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I found out quickly that mushroom picking spots were all around me. And they're likely around you too if you're anywhere in the vicinity of a forest. Some of the most productive spots for picking are less than five minutes from my house. The only mushrooms I really spend time looking for (at least for now) are chanterelles (<i>Cantharellus</i> spp.) and morels (<i>Morchella</i> spp.). Both of these mushrooms are found in deciduous forests and often in association with oak, poplar and beech trees (although this is a short list)...so this is certainly where I focus my search.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Weather and seasonality seem to be just as important as location. You'll see the mushrooms pop up just after significant rain events. For example this summer has been incredibly wet in the southeastern U.S. and chanterelles can even be found on the side of the road in abundance. So, road cruising is effective for both snakes AND edible mushrooms. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just like other biota, mushrooms have certain times of year where they are present or "active". I live in Georgia, so the window for finding morels is much shorter compared to the Midwest or Pacific Northwest and limited to early spring. However, chanterelles can be found for a majority of spring, summer and fall and usually limited by rain. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EyZkTISfP4LhaPcNtaYiSqn1IUHfkBzljXPMlhiwrXU6YcXGf8Cv-2jLTqYGv2ylOsmo74yyua3eAt4n5cRi_lb13g6Ve3xvu1lFBCo_p2Was4_xXfpvcsyTxnVDTIkjFSU95jrmj0E/s1600/A+forest+floor+view+of+chanterelles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EyZkTISfP4LhaPcNtaYiSqn1IUHfkBzljXPMlhiwrXU6YcXGf8Cv-2jLTqYGv2ylOsmo74yyua3eAt4n5cRi_lb13g6Ve3xvu1lFBCo_p2Was4_xXfpvcsyTxnVDTIkjFSU95jrmj0E/s400/A+forest+floor+view+of+chanterelles.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A forest floor view of Chanterelles in Georgia</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Many people tell me they are afraid to go picking because they don't know how to properly ID edible wild mushrooms. How did you learn to ID edibles?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think everyone should have a healthy respect for mushrooms...I still do which has restricted what I'm willing to pick and eat. I've also heard some rough stories of eating the wrong mushrooms. I used a combination of internet forums and websites, natural history books and the help from friends and family to feel confident in identifying chanterelles and morels when I started picking. I try to depend on diagnostic characteristics to distinguish between targets and non-targets. It seems like the most confusing mushroom for chanterelles is the Jack-O-Lantern (<i>Omphalotus olearius</i>). While this look-alike wouldn't kill you, the false morel (<i>Gyromitra esculenta</i>), which resembles my favorite mushroom, is potentially deadly and keeps me on my toes when picking and cleaning. I highly recommend the book, Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora. It's still a new book for me but I've learned quite a bit and it's a book that experienced pickers trust. I'm hoping to expand my mushroom picking interests, but am moving fairly slow...I'm alright with that. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. What kind of permits are required to harvest wild mushrooms in Georgia?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As far as I know, there are no permits required for mushroom harvest in Georgia. I've been told about permits and limits in other parts of the U.S., but I've never lived somewhere where harvest for personal consumption was regulated. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because many mushrooms are associated with the root systems of trees (symbiotic mycorhizal), the edible mushroom are often considered the fruits or flowers of the actual fungus. So, it's my impression and assumption that harvest is sustainable. I would like to have a conversation with a mycologist to confirm these assumptions. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Not many people forage for their own food, so I'm wondering, what are your motivations are to do so?</b> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm interested in continuing to remember where food comes from. This sounds cliché, but it's fairly easy to buy food at a grocery store and not consider where it originated. I still do. But, I try to explore how foods are made (processed or originate). All food comes from the ground in one way or another so keeping in mind the HOW, WHEN and WHERE is important to me. One way I keep this in mind is to use both local foods and try to learn the process of making certain foods. There are some exciting hobbies that can sprout from these curiosities. For example, I've been brewing beer the last few years and want to get into brewing ciders and wines, as well as cheese making. In addition to picking wild mushrooms, I'm also interested in learning how to cultivate mushrooms in my backyard. These hobbies are all much easier than most realize. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most folks react positively to mushroom foraging and are often envious...because wild mushrooms are both expensive and delicious. So, it's nice to share your pickings and chat about mushrooms whenever given the opportunity.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Can you describe some of the unique tastes of the wild mushrooms you pick?</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mushrooms add a significant amount of body and meatiness to any meal. Most people associate chanterelles with an apricot flavour. I've never smelled that but I do get a floral aroma and this is one way you can tell if the mushroom is fresh. Morel mushrooms are embedded into my flavor pallete and are a very memorable part of my childhood. But if asked to describe their flavor, I don't think I have a very descriptive answer. Savory is all that comes to mind. I prefer to enjoy morels lightly dusted in flour and pan-fried in a light mixture of mild olive oil and butter. They are a likely my favorite food that I've come across. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chanterelles are a fantastic addition to just about anything, but I have one classical sauce that is especially amazing on pasta or fish:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chanterelle Wine and Cream Sauce</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~3 handfuls of chanterelles (half roughly chopped, half finely chopped)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/2 cup dry white wine of your choosing (something you would drink).</span></div>
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<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dry saute the chantrelles over medium heat to remove most of the water.</span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add chopped shallot and garlic along with olive oil and butter, and saute until shallot and garlic are translucent and mushrooms are cooked through (8-10 minutes). Add paprika to your liking.</span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add white wine to deglaze pan and reduce alcohol content (couple minutes).</span></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-34739279696915289852013-07-19T07:24:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:06:42.342-08:00Finding Wild Mushrooms: Tips from Experienced Foragers <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interested in mushroom picking? Not sure how to get started? You are in the right place. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the next series of blog posts, mushroom foragers from different areas of the world have kindly agreed to share their tips. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first contributor, Abe Lloyd from the Pacific Northwest, provides four of his key harvesting rules and shares an intriguing shrimp mushroom recipe. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have any questions for him, please write them in the comments section at the end of this post. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am an ethnobotanist and the director of Salal, the Cascadian Food Institute in NW Washington. We do plant related contracts for Native American tribes and affiliated non-government organizations as well as research and writing that promotes indigenous food. I also teach college courses in ethnobotany, wild foods, and natural history. I have been studying plants and collecting wild foods for over 20 years and completed a master’s degree in ethnobotany in 2011. Mushrooming is a more recent passion that I took up seriously in 2007. You can read about my foraging adventures and wild food experiments on my <a href="http://www.arcadianabe.b/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wild Harvest</span></a> blog.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The best way to learn how to identify and find mushrooms is to hunt for them with experts. Most areas have local mushroom societies with regular field trips and guest speakers. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first time I went Chanterelle picking I got a tip from my professor about a good spot and went out on my own. I spent an hour walking through the woods before I spotted one, and then I started asking myself why it was growing where it was, and where else the conditions might be similar. At the same time that I was tuning my site criteria, I was also developing a search image for what the Chanterelles looked like, and then it became a real treasure hunt because I started seeing them everywhere! I went home with a basket full of golden Chanterelles and I was hooked. After that, I just tried to find other forest patches with similar aged trees of the same species and I have always done pretty well. I often drive 30-60 minutes out of town and into forest-land for my mushroom picking adventures.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chanterelles<i> (Cantharellus cibarius) </i>Victoria</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Many people tell me they are afraid to go picking because they don't know how to properly ID edible wild mushrooms. How did you learn to ID edibles?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mainly learned mushrooms by studying David Arora’s books “All that the Rain Promises” and “Mushrooms Demystified.” While this approach isn’t great for everyone, my experience identifying plants by using dichotomous keys, reading descriptive accounts, and studying photographs transferred easily to mushrooms. However, I held fast by a few simple rules including</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">a)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Never eating a mushroom the first time I identified it.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span">b)</span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Only eating a mushroom after I am absolutely confident of my identification</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span">c)</span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Limiting my first taste to a small piece that is cooked (but plain) and spitting it out if it tastes bad.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">d) Never feeding a mushroom to anyone else until I have tried it myself several times.</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think the best way to learn mushrooms is from a knowledgeable teacher, starting slow and focusing on developing a high level of confidence with a few mushrooms before gradually expanding. While I won’t recommend the internet as a replacement to a good field guide, there are a few websites with features that allow you to submit photographs to a network of mushroom experts who will identify the photograph (provided it is clear enough).</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Are there certain mushroom families/species you don't pick because ID'ing them is too tough? </b></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I still don’t eat Amanitas because that group contains some of the deadliest mushrooms and I don’t see enough variety to develop more confidence in my Amanita identification.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. What kind of rules or permits exist for wild mushroom picking in your area? </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have compiled a list of rules related to foraging mushrooms (and other edibles) in all the major land management jurisdictions throughout the Pacific Northwest on my <a href="http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com/2012/03/rules-for-foraging-on-public-land.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">blog</span></a>. Usually mushroom societies have a hand out or webpage with mushroom picking rules.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Not many people forage for their own food, can you describe some of your motivations to do so? </b></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Primarily I forage because it is a great way to be outside. When you are harvesting mushrooms or berries your senses are alive and you experience nature in a deeper way than the casual walker. I’ve never seen a mushroom picker wearing headphones! Eating wild foods is also about the healthiest and most sustainable thing you can do (provided that you don’t have to drive too far to harvest them). Wild foods generally have twice the micronutrients of their cultivated analogues and they grow in polycultures of native plants that require little in the way of inputs and little to no soil disturbance. Our grain based industrial agricultural economy on the other hand is totally the opposite and can be linked with all the major environmental problems.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Can you describe some of the unique tastes of the wild mushrooms you pick? </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like the name suggests, the Shrimp Russula (<i>Russula xerampelina</i>) has a shrimp or crab-like flavor and nice firm texture that works well in omelets. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM62m4Su5t6FLU1EiuYYQ9gNy-DAFUGzSoYPqtuyEdRFm-daYbGD_YX5ZCGxJbOaIZXRUIkH0BFfYArFv1pLe_gt84k4-VwsL-U5Bx0VCxqo05vNesEALegEa6DyHxakN0GfytwgInaRo/s1600/P1071322++Shrimp+Mushroom+Russula+xeramperlina+Chucanut+Mt..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM62m4Su5t6FLU1EiuYYQ9gNy-DAFUGzSoYPqtuyEdRFm-daYbGD_YX5ZCGxJbOaIZXRUIkH0BFfYArFv1pLe_gt84k4-VwsL-U5Bx0VCxqo05vNesEALegEa6DyHxakN0GfytwgInaRo/s400/P1071322++Shrimp+Mushroom+Russula+xeramperlina+Chucanut+Mt..JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Shrimp Mushroom (<i>Russula xeramperlina)</i> Chucanut Mt.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-21436122283555708082013-07-10T17:25:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:08:14.306-08:00Why I Choose Pesticide-free Foods: Lessons from Costa Rica<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know
what happens when a craving inhibits our capacity to engage in sustainability
economics and it is not always pretty. That said, a few recent life-experiences
have forced me to put more thought into grocery shopping, whether I’m having a craving
or not. Here, I've shared the experiences that taught me why choosing
pesticide-free food is the only choice for my health, that of farmers, and of
our ecosystems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZ5zDbvquw4U6jWun_o40o9WluHIFnLe82DglekJ1bLqa4Vv_J5w-rRsOyx-BhknrcmmlNVwFMsPuq3On4SvfPMMlJFaLdvI8SbxfZDUhCsJEzCmIre3_YPoMikw8BoRZ92M7-MDGMyM/s1600/Malanga.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZ5zDbvquw4U6jWun_o40o9WluHIFnLe82DglekJ1bLqa4Vv_J5w-rRsOyx-BhknrcmmlNVwFMsPuq3On4SvfPMMlJFaLdvI8SbxfZDUhCsJEzCmIre3_YPoMikw8BoRZ92M7-MDGMyM/s400/Malanga.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Malanga root on the left</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My first
serious thoughts about eating pesticide-free meals came when I visited a
friend's organic farm in Costa Rica. Nuria grows everything from rice and beans
to <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2011/07/heart-of-palm-part-i.html">heart of palm</a> and malanga. The farm's location is equally as unique as the
foods grown there; on one side it borders protected areas - including
Tortuguero National Park - and on the other side it borders a sea of
pesticide-laden banana and papaya plantations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whenever I
travel the road and approach her farm, I am always surprised at the stark
changes in the landscape. The journey is not so scenic when I begin near the
agricultural town of Guapiles. Mile after mile, all I can see are fields
crowded with banana trees and littered with blue plastic. There is no wildlife
in sight and the only farmers I can see are covered in hooded spray suits,
these so-called banana farmer uniforms are necessary to protect them from the
harmful chemicals that are sprayed on the acres and acres of fruits. Fruits
destined for our grocery stores for us to buy and eat. As I get closer to Nuria’s
farm, forest patches begin to break up the monotonous agricultural landscape.
Wildlife and humans freely visit her crops, and this time no hooded spray suits
are required.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXjfolMMoaKqEeEgi2dYFHdhhn-i3_ckocA9btNr5s4X987VAmoxoYAx92kT2oqFARB5YluCjL48pXNi_Ao46-ZIc2oVH6834HhokmzSG2bHITnJXApseBwgOEBrP0ymgRguWNCZYA_I/s1600/Papaya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXjfolMMoaKqEeEgi2dYFHdhhn-i3_ckocA9btNr5s4X987VAmoxoYAx92kT2oqFARB5YluCjL48pXNi_Ao46-ZIc2oVH6834HhokmzSG2bHITnJXApseBwgOEBrP0ymgRguWNCZYA_I/s400/Papaya.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Organic papaya tree, note rainforest in the background</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Upon
arrival, I am always greeted with fresh fruit, and if I’m lucky it is organic
papaya. Nuria has to pick these fruits while they are still a little green
because otherwise the toucans will devour them before she has the chance to
harvest them. My first papaya was unforgettable, for the taste but also the
story behind it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHKxTwCjGLWbBYgIwmjWya6rHFAPhiLqp-hFSzFzjPvCGpzULp17ao7dBWNATKntVM8736NcVHJJRt_oU52pyM-a60pjzv4_KwzrJ0Y8vEWZ_kWrkDjVVuRB8VjBNp3D_qKtdqrhTnFA/s1600/Toucan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHKxTwCjGLWbBYgIwmjWya6rHFAPhiLqp-hFSzFzjPvCGpzULp17ao7dBWNATKntVM8736NcVHJJRt_oU52pyM-a60pjzv4_KwzrJ0Y8vEWZ_kWrkDjVVuRB8VjBNp3D_qKtdqrhTnFA/s400/Toucan.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Papaya thief</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nuria’s story
began with a question, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Did you know that
I have a friend that works on a papaya farm yet always buys papayas from me? </i>When
I asked why he would not simply purchase the fruits from the farm where he
works, she told me that he did not want them. In fact, this fellow had sworn to
never eat a single papaya from his work because the plantations were laden with
pesticides. He told her that anyone who has felt their nose burn and their
chest tighten as they inhale pesticides would be a fool to eat a fruit
smothered in them. He also told her that anyone who has seen farm workers
suffer health complications as a result of their work, anyone who has seen
young children living near these plantations with unexplained health issues, would
be a fool to eat those papayas. I asked myself silently, if papaya farmers
won't eat their papayas, why should I purchase them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I took a
minute to think. Only two years back, I had come to Costa Rica excited about eating
papayas and tropical fruit salads. I'd been told by other Canadians that Costa
Rican papayas were more colourful, softer, and sweeter than any papaya I would
find in Canadian grocery stores. Nobody in Canada talked to me about making
sure they were organic. So two years ago, oblivious to the differences between
organic and conventional products, I bought the latter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my friend’s organic farm, I began to
see the real costs of being naive about where my food came from. These were not
only costs to my health but to that of others, that of fathers, mothers, and
children who have little say in what pesticides are used at their work or near
their homes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My papaya
story was not the first I heard of its kind, unfortunately. A year later but
still in Costa Rica, I was working as a teaching assistant for a tropical
biology course that traveled throughout the country Although we spent most of
our time at field stations, I occasionally found myself wandering away to talk
to farmers that lived in whatever area we happened to be visiting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While in
Guanacaste, near Palo Verde Biological Station, I met up with a rice farmer. Rice
is an important crop in Costa Rica because it is part of their signature meal, gallo
pinto. We talked about rice farming, local food, and Coyol palm wine. He was
quick to volunteer that he was out of work because of his health: he had
cancer. I felt my heart grow heavy. Because I was familiar with the heavy
pesticide use in Guanacaste's rice farms, I suspected this had something to do
with his condition. I found out that he shared my suspicion. He told me that
cancer, as well as other unexplained health conditions, were common among
rice-farmers in Guanacaste. He told me that the farmers of the area knew that the
pesticides they were using were causing them health problems but what was a
small farmer to do when they had a family to support and an increasingly
globalized market eliminated opportunities for diverse farming practices? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After
showing me some of the lesions he had on his body (and emphasizing that I could
not leave Guanacaste with out trying locally-roasted Iguana), we parted ways. On
my stroll back to the field station, I was reminded of a few conversations I
had with a couple river gold-miners in the Peruvian Amazon a few years
previously. Instead of pesticides the gold miners' poison was mercury. They
showed me the ways mercury can burn your skin, kill a rivers' fish, and eat
away at the health of their children, who have no choice but to drink the mercury-contaminated
river water. Just as the papaya and rice farmers, these people knew the danger
of these chemicals but did not have the choice to work without them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Writing
this essay brings back the same bone-chilling feelings I had when I was told
these stories. The difference now is that I cannot claim the same naiveté as I
did when I moved to Costa Rica. The burden of knowing, as some people would put
it, seems so small in comparison of the burden that farmers bear because they have
no real institutional support to rid their lives of these chemicals. Let's face
it, if we buy fruits grown with harmful pesticides, then companies will
continue using them and governments will continue to allow them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I understand
we do not all have the privilege to eat organic because it can be expensive and
out of reach to many. But, for those of you like me with a choice, opting for
pesticide-free is an important one. It is a choice for healthy people and
healthy ecosystems. It is a choice to pressure governments and companies to
honour the basic human rights to a life free of harmful chemicals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want to
eat organic in Costa Rica? Check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FeriaVerde">Feria Verde in Aranajuez</a>, San Jose, it
is one of my favourite markets.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More on plantation pesticide use in Costa Rica: </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+research&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F22749112&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Indigenous+children+living+nearby+plantations+with+chlorpyrifos-treated+bags+have+elevated+3%2C5%2C6-trichloro-2-pyridinol+%28TCPy%29+urinary+concentrations.&rft.issn=0013-9351&rft.date=2012&rft.volume=117&rft.issue=&rft.spage=17&rft.epage=26&rft.artnum=&rft.au=van+Wendel+de+Joode+B&rft.au=Barraza+D&rft.au=Ruepert+C&rft.au=Mora+AM&rft.au=C%C3%B3rdoba+L&rft.au=Oberg+M&rft.au=Wesseling+C&rft.au=Mergler+D&rft.au=Lindh+CH&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Ecology+%2F+Conservation%2CEnvironmental+Health">van Wendel de Joode B, Barraza D, Ruepert C, Mora AM, Córdoba L, Oberg M, Wesseling C, Mergler D, & Lindh CH (2012). Indigenous children living nearby plantations with chlorpyrifos-treated bags have elevated 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) urinary concentrations. <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental research, 117</span>, 17-26 PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22749112" rev="review">22749112</a></span>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-69078121658541682732013-07-02T08:05:00.000-07:002013-12-12T06:11:22.903-08:00Cultural Uses of Coconuts in Zanzibar<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I welcome a guest post from Sarah Halpern; at the end of the post is a beautiful photo journey of how Zanzibari people craft rope out of coconuts. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9bENAmyU9Qw4k0aDNjXFvgy352UaWjVOdlKTC71sF_rpt3eomXhdAz_PYCz_LcsuPc-7ncpDtIGnfVgfplMQl3c5V21mfb3oBqUY0J6uVynvulSs_vtOTKV7Rq6RQCZ670Xfl7EVcSk/s320/Sarah_!.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9bENAmyU9Qw4k0aDNjXFvgy352UaWjVOdlKTC71sF_rpt3eomXhdAz_PYCz_LcsuPc-7ncpDtIGnfVgfplMQl3c5V21mfb3oBqUY0J6uVynvulSs_vtOTKV7Rq6RQCZ670Xfl7EVcSk/s400/Sarah_!.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My name is Sarah Halpern and I live in Charleston, South Carolina. I work for the <a href="http://ethnobiology.net/">International Society of Ethnobiology</a>. I recently spent time studying the coconut palm in Zanzibar, Tanzania.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While traveling throughout Zanzibar, I quickly realized that much of the economy and tradition of the area relies heavily on the coconut palm. It is the most sustainable tree in the world. The coconut palm is used in almost every occupation, domestic uses, cooking, and various traditions. My study took place primarily in the Northwestern Region of Unguja Island in Zanzibar in the villages of Mangapwani, Bumbwini, Fujoni, and Zingwezingwe.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are disputes concerning how the coconut palm arrived in East Africa. It is believed to have originated in the Southwest Pacific and introduced in Madagascar by sailors in the 1<sup>st</sup> century AD. It is also speculated that it was brought to Zanzibar by Arab traders and other sea faring travelers for sustenance and commercial use. Both travelers and locals have been utilizing the sweet, naturally desalinated, and uncontaminated drinking water of a coconut in the tropics for centuries. Additionally, many wild species have been found on the fringes of the Indian and Pacific Oceans implying that the tree could very well be indigenous to East Africa. This particular idea is supported in “Perplus of the Erythraean Sea,” written in 60 AD, in which Perplus mentions the town of Rhapta, located off of the coast of present day Tanzania, where coconuts were used for trade.The name of the town, derived from the Greek/Arab word “to sew,” came about because the Arab boats were sewn together using coconut fibers. In fact, the entire ship, the hull, masts, ropes, stitches, and even sails, was once made entirely from coconut products. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Zanzibari tradition, various parts of the coconut are used throughout one’s life cycle. At the very beginning of life, a new born is blessed with coconut oil to ask God for blessings and property. Throughout life, coconut leaves are used to make fences for various celebrations, such as weddings. And finally, the coconut water is used to cleanse corpses before burial.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the most profitable professions in Zanzibar is the ownership of a shamba, an area of land covered by coconut palms. This profession is acquired by Islamic Laws of Inheritance, meaning mostly by men. The men are responsible for hiring people to harvest the coconuts, which are then sold to various markets. Harvesting is done by using small ropes to climb the trees and cut down the fruit.They are known for singing a song about strength while climbing. I found that most of the shamba owners in that area did little to no planting of trees on their land. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stonetown, the main port city of Zanzibar, is also known for its elaborate wooden doors made from the wood of the coconut palm. Therefore, carpentry is a traditional profession, passed down usually within the family. The leftover wood from the carpenters is usually used to make limestone, which can be used for building and painting.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another traditional practice by men in Zanzibar is the domestic handicraft of upawa (seen below), a spoonlike creation used for cooking. The coconut palm plays a large role in cooking in general as well. The coconut is a staple in Swahili diet. It is considered the “soul food of the tropics.” The coconut palm is also used in the actual cooking process. Trunk and coconut husks are collected and used as fuel, fish is often placed on folded coconut leaves, <i>nyaliyo</i>, rather than directly over a fire, in order to obtain more flavor and to prevent the fish from burning. The stem of the leaf can be used as a stake to hold fish and vegetables over a fire as well. The leaves from the tree were once very helpful in drying out cassava, however this is not practiced anymore because whole palm leaves are more difficult to find.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The coconut and other parts of the tree are commonly used in recipes. Shredding the coconut meat, mixing with water, and straining multiple times make coconut milk, which is combined with many main courses. Coconut milk can also functions as a replacement for oil because of its high fat content. <i>Kitale</i>, the white coconut leaf bud is eaten like a vegetable and mixed into salads. <i>Mbata</i>, an overripe coconut, is also eaten as a delicious snack. <i>Mbata</i>, however, have become more difficult to find because of the overharvesting of coconuts.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A traditional job amongst women in the villages of Zanzibar is the creation of roofing materials for all homes, hotels, and fences. This is a particularly high paying job, however leaves are in constant demand and the profession is becoming more popular, creating a sense of negative competition among women. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">However many women also have taken part in the traditional ways of making rope. This job brings a great amount of pride for women as it is very physical. Women bury the coconut husks for a year in mud covered plains, then dig up the husks and beat them until they are broken down into string. The string is then carried home on large bulks to be twisted into rope. This process is shown below:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sWf8bdw4fymsfyhoOZVL2zW3EELq8NTQESZqnOC5zc5wsSYufOJrp04khyqRPZY3C61Xs8U3XgjDgeoj5kiqj0m7XEDU_9Z7JSGT7LghLt6jZpwQ7poacVR2shhk6SKbMpMV0r2MKzQ/s857/figure+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sWf8bdw4fymsfyhoOZVL2zW3EELq8NTQESZqnOC5zc5wsSYufOJrp04khyqRPZY3C61Xs8U3XgjDgeoj5kiqj0m7XEDU_9Z7JSGT7LghLt6jZpwQ7poacVR2shhk6SKbMpMV0r2MKzQ/s400/figure+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A shamba owner hires a man to de-husk the coconuts from his land.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">An elderly member of the village makes a living by using a small piece of rope to climb trees 30-40 ft high to cut down the coconuts.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmTzMzaRYlqTEXcQMUzXapsGH8g6TfR7KtS96JE01akPqNTZDkxA2ywYl8guKH44IkGwDV9L2Oqmeo0BzlQ0X720HHhCwToDmaIBvKTczm6QsPViKfQ3gkkg0b5vMehepluS5t_8aRjk/s704/fig+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmTzMzaRYlqTEXcQMUzXapsGH8g6TfR7KtS96JE01akPqNTZDkxA2ywYl8guKH44IkGwDV9L2Oqmeo0BzlQ0X720HHhCwToDmaIBvKTczm6QsPViKfQ3gkkg0b5vMehepluS5t_8aRjk/s320/fig+3.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">Upawa - a spoon like tool made from various parts of the coconut. Made by men, but used more so by women in the Zanzibari kitchen.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlOTYSfOgFRugDbwaeZEkTbv8vdHlwSHMAstMGEc4W9vxbdVqopoi0WjBx92Csj35ZCOcwd1Z29qW7_dakRIG7G00blSanixVlSIjuCXpD2G4zfP2iOLdrOysgih02nyY-61rDmP40K4/s718/fig+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlOTYSfOgFRugDbwaeZEkTbv8vdHlwSHMAstMGEc4W9vxbdVqopoi0WjBx92Csj35ZCOcwd1Z29qW7_dakRIG7G00blSanixVlSIjuCXpD2G4zfP2iOLdrOysgih02nyY-61rDmP40K4/s400/fig+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">A Zanzibari woman digging up her coconut husks from the "desert." This is the first part of the rope making process, a profession done by women. The husks are left to soak in the mud for a year to soften.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">This is the second part of the rope making process where women beat out the soften husks into thin string.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;">The final part of the rope making process is done from the home. Women carry back the large piles of string and tie specific types of knots to make strong rope. This rope is used for everything from fishing, packaging, etc.</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-30136265969712458322013-06-30T08:33:00.001-07:002013-12-12T06:13:13.440-08:00What is a Rat Tail Radish? <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bY-Ax4sg3wpFR1txqJg_sAuVNkPyA8cP4fRqpTPUei9h7REnJXI2SeYV3SQbQQMogI1466NdiJLnbFf8lSXfh3gd5aCZ3OWp4DtRvhI3PKJoEQOD_7i4zsATk81G7lxhoElbH2xHEb8/s600/wikimedia+and+rat+tail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bY-Ax4sg3wpFR1txqJg_sAuVNkPyA8cP4fRqpTPUei9h7REnJXI2SeYV3SQbQQMogI1466NdiJLnbFf8lSXfh3gd5aCZ3OWp4DtRvhI3PKJoEQOD_7i4zsATk81G7lxhoElbH2xHEb8/s400/wikimedia+and+rat+tail.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rat Tail Radish Pod (courtesy of <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raddish_(raphanus_caudatus).jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How many of us have started gardening and found plants of unknown origin appear in our gardens? At least one blog reader can relate. Nina Steen from Greenwood Lake, NY, sent this picture to my inbox in an email labeled Mystery Plant.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nina's Rat Tail Radish plant in flower (courtesy of Nina Steen)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This plant was in her cilantro labeled pot, but, as you can see it looks nothing like cilantro. Nina contacted me as well as many others to figure out this mystery. Here is a pretty convincing response from <a href="http://greenwoodlakegardencenter.tumblr.com/about%20us">Stacey Lawrence</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"This is definitely a rat tail radish or <i>Raphanus caudatus</i>. Where ever did you pick this up Nina? This fella isn't usually grown for its flowers but rather the eatable pods it produces in late summer. The taste similar to a radish flavour and are big in Asia cooking. Pick them while they're young or they get hard and nasty quickly."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mystery solved, this plant is <i>Raphanus caudatus</i>, literally meaning radish with a tail. Thanks to Nina and Stacey, I learned this tail is edible! In fact, these radish pods may have more culinary uses than the well-known radish root. Pods can be used fresh in salads, steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or pickled. A <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/09/AR2006080900474.html">recipe submitted to the Washington Post</a> suggests crisping them up in olive oil; another food blogger suggests putting them in <a href="http://burntlumpiablog.com/2011/05/rat-tail-radish-pods.html">salad with tomatoes</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although this plant was unknown to Nina and I, it has been around a long time. The Missouri Botanical Garden reports that Greeks and Romans were the first to <a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a761/raphanus-sativus-caudatus.aspx">write about the culinary uses of these radishes</a>. But just where did Greeks and Romans get their hands on these pods? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Botanists believe that radishes that contain pods come from China because this is where wild varieties of the plant can still be found. From China and Greece radishes somehow made their way to Americas soon after Columbus. These tangy vegetables became so important in Mexico (in Oaxaca specifically) that this vegetable is celebrated there on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Radishes">La Noche de los Rabanos</a> (The Night of the Radish) every December 23rd. This festival uses the radish root I'm more familiar with to carve sculptures and to make Mexican treats such as radish empanadas and tamales.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Nina confessed to me that she is looking to give away her rat tail because she does not like radishes. I agree that radish roots are pungent and not for everyone but some chefs claim that radish pods have a more delicate flavour. Either way, I am looking forward to tasting these pods because ra</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">dishes are one of my favourite vegetables. I remember my grandfather used to put them out as summer snacks with salt, definitely a healthier treat then the chips and other crispy things I encounter more often as time passes. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please share any of your rat tail recipes in the comments section of this blog; if you have any pictures of your cooking, I would love to post them on the blog. </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-34973372547125558312013-06-03T17:55:00.001-07:002013-12-12T06:10:50.728-08:00Bhutanese Butter Tea<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriSNrIyND1lRgGp_hWQTqta_f3-hx02My0uIIHHHaSwojac6dPfNNNEMWPOjQWfYagjfivGZdlvnhHkedu8KKzRLrACWhkITtr_Ur4V5pTHJpTnCOtPJo2LGQLL9DMlGyZh8K23zXx08/s1600/Yak_butter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriSNrIyND1lRgGp_hWQTqta_f3-hx02My0uIIHHHaSwojac6dPfNNNEMWPOjQWfYagjfivGZdlvnhHkedu8KKzRLrACWhkITtr_Ur4V5pTHJpTnCOtPJo2LGQLL9DMlGyZh8K23zXx08/s400/Yak_butter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yak Butter used in Bhutanese Tea (courtesy of <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Yak_butter.JPG">wikimedia commons</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tea is ritual. Preparing tea is a skilled tradition, drinking tea can cure illness, sharing tea is a form of celebrating friendship, and reading tea is a form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasseography">fortune-telling</a>. There are two forms of tea that have always intrigued me: Moroccan mint tea and Bhutanese butter tea. Although I have no immediate travel plans to Morocco, my work will bring me to Bhutan in 2014. On the top of my Bhutanese to do list is tea-tasting. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I began reading about Bhutanese tea this year in preparation for the <a href="http://isecongress2014bhutan.org/">International Society of Ethnobiology Conference in 2014</a>. I learned that tea in Bhutan is different from tea I've heard about anywhere else in the world. What makes Bhutanese tea so special? Butter, also known as Suja. Butter is mixed into black tea with a little bit of salt. A fellow blogger, Dolro, <a href="http://thozowasho.blogspot.com/2012/11/time-for-tea-suja-desi.html">posted some great pictures here of her family churning butter into tea</a>. Dolro explained that the finished product is a creamy brown colour. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5ggjM9ybjtDwoUJkGKQ4wnycPUEeKhkeAuUMLIBE_57bcl1qnv8DdSj06-_N_BqSYgBdVpeSwgVDcBDOtGsZAwfoM_BjgRHL4mgNobOyRS4yCHpDGdst07t_2Kr0hpjHtlvhGF02uOY/s1600/Butter_tea,_Bhutan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5ggjM9ybjtDwoUJkGKQ4wnycPUEeKhkeAuUMLIBE_57bcl1qnv8DdSj06-_N_BqSYgBdVpeSwgVDcBDOtGsZAwfoM_BjgRHL4mgNobOyRS4yCHpDGdst07t_2Kr0hpjHtlvhGF02uOY/s400/Butter_tea,_Bhutan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Creamy brown butter tea (courtesy of<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Butter_tea%2C_Bhutan.JPG"> wikimedia commons</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A friend of mine, <a href="http://emerging-ethnobiologists.blogspot.com/2013/02/jigme-dorji.html">Jigme Dorji</a>, explained that butter tea is common all over Bhutan. On the other hand, Yak butter tea is only made by Nomad communities. I understand that the <a href="http://www.keystobhutan.com/bhutan/bhutan_people_yak.php">Yak is a very important being for Nomads</a>. Yaks provide food, clothing, and are part of many nomadic rituals. Because I am in Bhutan for a conference, I may only get the chance to try regular butter tea, but I'll keep my fingers crossed in hopes to try tea made with Yak butter. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So why put butter in your tea, besides the fact that it tastes good? Although I'm not entirely sure, one reason may be that butter tea is high in fat and important to keep people warm at high altitudes. In the Andean highlands <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2013/01/yerba-mate-mate-de-coca-what-are-they.html">mate de coca</a> is another tea important to keep people warm at high altitudes. This Christmas I was feeling pretty cold myself after moving home from Costa Rica. In light of my new knowledge of butter tea I tried to make my own. I started putting coconut butter in my teas and indeed it warmed me up and tasted delicious. I'm sure there is a rich history of the origin of butter tea, if you have any leads please share them in the comments section here. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-18239600376142713692013-05-07T12:10:00.003-07:002013-12-12T06:09:38.279-08:00Do you know where your bananas come from?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although this blog post has been on my mind for months, I
did not write it in fear of doing the topic an injustice. How can words on a
page possibly bring you to the root of the banana industry where women, men,
and children engage in risky and consistently hard labour to bring the perfect
unblemished banana to our tables? The longer I sit on this story, the more
important I realize it is. So here is my story, based on eight months working with
bananas.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we want a banana the furthest most of us have to travel
is to the grocery store. But, this convenience is not without costs. Save for a
small label that identifies the country of origin, we have no idea about the farms
our bananas come from. We also have no idea what farmers have sacrificed to
produce a bushel of bananas. Buying organic satisfies many consumers and frees
them of any guilt about unsustainable eating. Until 2012, I was one of those
consumers who thought I was doing my best for farmers and the environment when
buying organic. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year I realized the real danger of this assumption. I
realized that the label organic tells us nothing about how banana companies
treat banana farmers. I realized that organic bananas are bought and marketed
mainly by Transnational Corporations and human rights aren’t necessarily one of
their priorities, getting you to buy their organic banana is.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oZXuemyoapWk6dZ8BYYr9yGkaZKVIujDCs5LALyF-onYjchhZxHIzvUvH7zJDH2LoiyfgUyPE-7BoCGSXkcIm_S8vl_wnHMHN_XNVq7ReXKuprJQqp5GET0WoTI_q0DEEZR0P92PWy4/s1600/Talamanca+mountains.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oZXuemyoapWk6dZ8BYYr9yGkaZKVIujDCs5LALyF-onYjchhZxHIzvUvH7zJDH2LoiyfgUyPE-7BoCGSXkcIm_S8vl_wnHMHN_XNVq7ReXKuprJQqp5GET0WoTI_q0DEEZR0P92PWy4/s400/Talamanca+mountains.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Traveling into these Talamanca Mountains, I did not expect to find the heart of Costa Rica's banana industry</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my experience I was farming organic bananas in a Southern
Caribbean region of Costa Rica called <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2012/04/ye-u-coroma-my-house-in-coroma.html">Talamanca</a>. I was working with Bribri
Indigenous people who have lived in the country since time immemorial. In
addition to being an Indigenous Territory this is arguably the most biodiverse
region of Costa Rica and where you can find <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Amistad_International_Park">Costa Rica’s largest national park</a>.
This region is also hard to access, requiring boat, bus, and foot travel to
arrive. Needless to say, when I moved to this remote and lush tropical forest,
I did not expect to see large-scale banana farming.</span></div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtuLCsApS7cseFRpeaVvO82eFXLTehoAKjf2PRLrjnMPW_CHIRiXzVGBZsp12egTn2T5uEKJ_D48mMdJ3dLdIf3OVlc_IWpqr7qDvGnM8cAxzYXu7atUlr1SwsFjwya5OBaxaKEIX3Kc/s1600/banana+farm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtuLCsApS7cseFRpeaVvO82eFXLTehoAKjf2PRLrjnMPW_CHIRiXzVGBZsp12egTn2T5uEKJ_D48mMdJ3dLdIf3OVlc_IWpqr7qDvGnM8cAxzYXu7atUlr1SwsFjwya5OBaxaKEIX3Kc/s400/banana+farm.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Soils in Talamanca that have been organic since time immemorial</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first two questions I asked, when I unexpectedly found
myself amidst a lot of bananas were: 1) With all the agricultural land in Costa
Rica, why did organic banana companies choose to buy bananas from Talamanca?
And 2) How was it cost-effective to export bananas through unpredictable rivers
and hard to access roads? </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzTYQFxIXgNQbDY-CpXUtia-MqtcZCmpk0ogY-s7Fl8WHRndgwxGeiOyPnQ3y6hG_7_klNqXUayxbORl74OwnziscPiSfwb8fPqL8rFkwDSvP8o75Bp9E87PeKLU6GNjOu-USJVScrJ4/s1600/Playoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzTYQFxIXgNQbDY-CpXUtia-MqtcZCmpk0ogY-s7Fl8WHRndgwxGeiOyPnQ3y6hG_7_klNqXUayxbORl74OwnziscPiSfwb8fPqL8rFkwDSvP8o75Bp9E87PeKLU6GNjOu-USJVScrJ4/s400/Playoon.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">On export day, twice a month, this rocky shore is buried under bananas to be transported to the capital city</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I recalled my research on organic farming, it dawned upon
me. For organic bananas you need organic land, land that has not been exposed
to chemical pesticides for at least three years. Unbeknownst to many, organic
land is something that is hard to find in Costa Rica (because of widespread
pesticide use). So, the fastest and cheapest way for companies to find organic
land was likely to travel to Indigenous communities, deep into the forest where
chemicals have never been used. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You don’t see anything wrong with the picture yet? Let’s dig
a little deeper. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do transnational banana companies pay Indigenous people fair
wages? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No. An average farmer receives from 20-160 USD a month, far
less than the Costa Rican minimum wage of 502 USD. A kg of bananas is bought
for less than one-cent USD and sold – at my store – for about 20 times more.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do banana companies recognize and respect traditional
farming practices? </span></div>
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No. Although Bribri bananas are cropped alongside many other food and timber
species, companies do not see this biocultural diversity as beneficial, they
see it as getting in the way of profits. Consequently, company representatives
have tried to coerce people to increase production (and decrease crop
diversity) through training as well as with economic threats.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQn05djcEbwwtppJeqQEZQBEaYUHxoocDgMmqQl-9N80Pqfz9e8ScmiSj4aZDGgb3CYkLtnBqUTkIYTGqZzaM25le6TVNqs5LDIAPvT1f0HsolKzvBRAYjoyxkSRMTLe5i8N2CMMcs58/s1600/Peach+palm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQn05djcEbwwtppJeqQEZQBEaYUHxoocDgMmqQl-9N80Pqfz9e8ScmiSj4aZDGgb3CYkLtnBqUTkIYTGqZzaM25le6TVNqs5LDIAPvT1f0HsolKzvBRAYjoyxkSRMTLe5i8N2CMMcs58/s400/Peach+palm.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Fresh peach palm fruits, just one part of the rich crop diversity common on Bribri farms</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do companies have any liability if people get hurt or harmed
on the job or do they compensate people if their bananas get lost during
unpredictable river transport? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No and No. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can imagine, corporations are different and may not
have the same <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">modus operandi</i> as the
one I experienced in Costa Rica. However, other people’s experiences suggest
that <a href="http://www.tni.org/paper/threat-opportunity-problems-code-conduct-land-grabbing">transnational corporations elsewhere are similarly concerned with profit increase and similarly disinterested in human rights</a>. My experiences demonstrate
that buying organic is not enough to free us of our social and environmental
eating responsibilities. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After moving home from Talamanca, it is safe to say that I
do not necessarily support large banana companies that simply label their
products as organic . When I do buy bananas – and other exotic foods like
<a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2011/07/scoop-on-north-americas-leading-coffee.html">coffee</a> or <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2012/03/bean-to-bar-interview-with-caribbean.html">chocolate</a> - I look for equal exchange or other <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2011/07/fair-trade-organic-and-shade-grown.html">fairly traded</a>
products. </span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-82983628133253315432013-04-13T22:36:00.001-07:002013-04-14T04:26:01.173-07:00Melting Guns into Garden Tools<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdt34qs1EVNlWC2b5_DsZvFT2g0sc_OJrJbzsgf-mkWHlMV1weAyfeee7OqN7HXTToRwyigM-RKUDPwucpA8XsSPFYMvApoj_-w5wzHGc4jvM2fyR826-BtOtz7YFsQTSxXfrLDB07-Y/s1600/shovel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdt34qs1EVNlWC2b5_DsZvFT2g0sc_OJrJbzsgf-mkWHlMV1weAyfeee7OqN7HXTToRwyigM-RKUDPwucpA8XsSPFYMvApoj_-w5wzHGc4jvM2fyR826-BtOtz7YFsQTSxXfrLDB07-Y/s640/shovel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vizikahn/16058364/">Vienze Ziction on Flickr</a></td></tr>
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<i>"I believe it's a civil right to live in an environment free of weapons."</i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pedro Reyes, Organic Gardening December 2012</span></i></div>
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When I picked up a copy of the latest <a href="http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/83141176/swords-plowshares">Organic Gardening</a> magazine, I did not expect to be reading about guns. To be exact, these were guns that Mexican artist <a href="http://pedroreyes.net/palasporpistolas.php">Pedro Reyes</a> recycled into shovels for his exhibit <a href="http://www.palasporpistolas.org/">Palos por Pistolas</a>. These guns came from the streets of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culiac%C3%A1n">Culiacán</a> Mexico - home to one of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinaloa_Cartel">Mexico's most powerful drug cartels</a> - and they were melted down into materials used to make 1527 gardening shovels. Now if you have the chance to see this display of shovels be prepared for more than your typical art viewing, be prepared to use these shovels to plant trees. Planting trees with transformed guns is what what Pedro Reyes asks in return for hosting his art exhibit; these shovels have been used by art admirers in Culiacán and in other cities such as Paris and Vancouver. Now that is what I call art in action. This exhibit gives a way for people to engage with human rights issues by juxtaposing peace and life with violence and death. </div>
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I was reminded of Palos por Pistolas this weekend because a horrific act of gun violence took place not too far away from me. I was far enough away to remain safe and physically unharmed, sadly two young women did not have my fortune. I can not get this shooting - all shootings - out of my head. More than ever, Bob Dylan's well-known question resonates with me: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA">how many times must the cannonballs fly before they're forever banned?</a> </div>
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What would the world look like if all states embraced Palos por Pistolas? What would the world look like if all people recognized the basic human right to a life free of fear? Although the act of melting guns into shovels will not eliminate arms trades or human rights atrocities facilitated by guns, Reyes' art has turned instruments of death into instruments of life. The Palos por Pistolas project has given people a chance to peacefully resist gun violence, a trend I hope catches on in days to come. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-33287069417341419352013-03-13T05:49:00.001-07:002013-12-12T06:09:03.487-08:00The faces behind a can of ravioli<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfa9aRyfW6dzyVJRWKbfrBWXiLQ9q91Gye8fscishMhvUa2fdyNldWfyXqf-L7naoihxSa_mVD71XzJrbjwfoGFT1V0csFgAYsSN3e7m4ogE8A2K4p_qxlqiLwGH_O5rJq0zVo8L3skM/s1600/Tomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfa9aRyfW6dzyVJRWKbfrBWXiLQ9q91Gye8fscishMhvUa2fdyNldWfyXqf-L7naoihxSa_mVD71XzJrbjwfoGFT1V0csFgAYsSN3e7m4ogE8A2K4p_qxlqiLwGH_O5rJq0zVo8L3skM/s640/Tomato.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes from the Yauco Cooperative in Puerto Rico, 1942 (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2178363927/">courtesy of Jack Delano</a>) </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the Canadian winter months farmers markets can be bare. If I am lucky I can usually find a few varieties of squash and a selection of canned jams. Fresh vegetables, on the other hand, are no where to be found. What I miss most in the winter is a selection of fresh tomatoes. My tomato cravings often bring me to a large grocery store where I succumb to selecting fresh fruits from Mexico. Satisfying all my cravings in winter would be hard if I only shopped locally.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes I also eat canned tomatoes. I have pondered whether canned may be a better choice than eating fruit from the South. I've found a company that produces cans of organic tomatoes a little closer to home, in California to be exact. Canned tomatoes however, bring another concern and that concern is the can. I have often wondered where the cans come from and if the aluminium used to make the can is sustainably mined. I have found it hard to answer these questions. Recently however, I found a lead when I stumbled upon a video called <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2013/02/201321312460884587.html">Canned Dreams</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Canned Dreams, made by Finnish filmmaker Katja Gauriloff, is a beautifully done documentary about where a can of European ravioli comes from. Katja starts her documentary with the origin of the aluminium can. The aluminum is mined - and the can itself is produced - in a barren Brazilian landscape, which is quite a distance away from Europe<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica;">. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Katja then examined each ingredient that goes into a can of meat ravioli; her findings are quite surprising. First, we travel to</span> pick tomat</span>oes with women in Portugal. Then in Denmark we are crammed into pig pens, and in Romania into cow cells, to meet the animals behind this pasta. Next, we venture to Ukraine to work long hours with women in a flour mill. Canned Dreams shows us the real people behind our globalized food chains. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For those readers interested in learning what is behind their food choices, this is the documentary to watch. Although this documentary is specific to European ravioli, I suspect similar stories are behind other canned foods. <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2011/08/local-vs-global-pizza.html">I tried to map the distance my pizza ingredients traveled from their farm to my plate</a>, but I left out a major part, the people behind the ingredients. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This documentary puts a new spin on what it means to talk about global food systems; it reminds us there is a face and a family behind each and every ingredient we eat. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I would love to hear your comments regarding Canned Dreams; you can watch it <a href="http://I would love to hear your comments regarding Canned Dreams, you can watch it free on Al Jazeera's program Witness.">free on Al Jazeera's program Witness</a>. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-737679278567741232013-02-24T04:39:00.001-08:002013-12-12T06:12:54.844-08:00Sharing my story: why I work with people and plants<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>As part of my involvement in the<a href="http://ethnobiology.net/"> International Society of Ethnobiology</a>, I was asked "why did you become an ethnobiologist?" Ethnobiology refers to the study of people and biology or people and their environment. I identify myself as an ethnobiologist b</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>ecause I work with people and plants</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>. Although many factors led to my ethnobiology career path, I answered this question with a few important ones. You can find my story on the <a href="http://emerging-ethnobiologists.blogspot.com/2013/04/faces-of-ethnobiology-olivia-sylvester.html">Emerging Ethnobiologists blog</a> and I have re-posted it here: </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1) Why did you become an ethnobiologist?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Becoming an ethnobiologist was a process. I grew up gardening with my grandmother and exploring forests in Canada with my dad. Spending time outdoors with my family cultivated my interest in plants, the wild, the farmed, and the medicinal.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiIrwLePTygCLasqScpqhSZeSDTK0GDY2V40Ct6g-eFSk2mdhrGnoK3_OXctxydOKKMfaP2I708rGnA53CWlKZm8MRqw6yA6DPN2D2zaxcIZjSKAE-ZqzATmW3gmgWdtsgAZ15wfUwOA/s1600/fallen+timber+campground+i+think001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiIrwLePTygCLasqScpqhSZeSDTK0GDY2V40Ct6g-eFSk2mdhrGnoK3_OXctxydOKKMfaP2I708rGnA53CWlKZm8MRqw6yA6DPN2D2zaxcIZjSKAE-ZqzATmW3gmgWdtsgAZ15wfUwOA/s640/fallen+timber+campground+i+think001.jpg" width="460" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Camping in the Canadian Rocky Mountains (1986)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I began university, I did not study ethnobotany. Instead, I explored classes in chemistry and Spanish. Perhaps, it was when I moved to Latin America - first for an exchange program and later for work and play - that my studies and my life-projects came together under the guise of ethnobotany. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Latin America - boating through the Peruvian Amazon and working on Costa Rican farms - I became more dedicated to the connections between people and plants. When I began my Masters degree at the University of Costa Rica, I took my first ethnobotany course.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A trip on Eduardo II in the Peruvian Amazon (2005)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Cooking peach palm flowers in Talamanca, Costa Rica (2012)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2) What is one of the most memorable experiences from your work?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My most memorable experiences happened while cultivating a collaborative partnership and friendship with Bribri women in <a href="http://farmsforestsfoods.blogspot.com/2012/04/ye-u-coroma-my-house-in-coroma.html">Talamanca, Costa Rica</a>; this friendship began with my doctoral research and continues through a mutual project we developed on organic coffee farming. It is with these women I feel I have learned most of what I need to know to live - contently - in this world. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3) What is your future plan?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the immediate future, my plan is to finish writing my thesis. Afterwards, I hope to continue to collaborate with women and youth on ethnobotany projects and to teach ethnobiology. Right now I am brainstorming about ethnobiology courses and seminars I would like to teach; these include courses on qualitative research methods and the ethnobiology of food and a seminars on cross-cultural research partnerships.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096004705290321639.post-13892039470150005092013-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:002013-12-12T06:13:30.423-08:00Get creative in your backyard: North American wild food recipes<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2gUYxHsagd83S2D8nCDCBVr4r86sThV_wB6MTMVvO_aR3y1EZ4vbopTKKxX2wplThUYlzAvMxRfkYU6P1k011qKNJ5hYQpH3e76e7JVdD8OAoy12JlwNd1tSvAoIwSSPOXaZfXSa3AY/s1600/maple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2gUYxHsagd83S2D8nCDCBVr4r86sThV_wB6MTMVvO_aR3y1EZ4vbopTKKxX2wplThUYlzAvMxRfkYU6P1k011qKNJ5hYQpH3e76e7JVdD8OAoy12JlwNd1tSvAoIwSSPOXaZfXSa3AY/s400/maple.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Making maple syrup in Vermont in 1974, courtesy of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/3926871010/">Jane Cooper, U.S. National Archives</a></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Maple syrup amazes me; how can something so delicious just come right out of a tree? Wild Harvests shows us what you have to do <a href="http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com/2013/02/bigleaf-maple-syrup.html">to get the syrup from the tree to your plate</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Need to ramp up your breakfast? Enjoy the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-becker/foraging-for-wild-ramps-a_b_550415.html">garlic flavour of Wild Ramps</a> with potatoes or eggs. Ramps (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_tricoccum">Allium tricoccum</a></i>) also called wild leeks are native to eastern North America, and picking season is coming soon. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle">Stinging Nettle</a> is more than an allergy cure, its now an italian meal, <a href="http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2013/02/dried-nettle-pasta.html">here is a recipe for Stinging Nettle pasta</a> with wild ramp butter. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Did you know <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke">Sunroot</a> is a Native American people's name for Jerusalem Artichoke. Jerusalem has nothing do do with the origin of this root that grows natively in Eastern North America. Try <a href="http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/green-tea-infused-sunroot-soup/">this Sunroot and green tea soup recipe</a> from Green Kitchen Stories.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Want a sweet treat? Hunger and Thrist makes <a href="http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2013/02/leaf-litter-caramel.html">a caramel drink from decaying leaf litter</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What are your wild food recipes?</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960818430748218413noreply@blogger.com1