Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [11]
PASTURE-RAISED, SMALL-FARM POULTRY AND EGGS
If you live near a factory poultry or egg farm, be on your guard. Conditions near these windowless bunkers are so awful that in the past decade several lawsuits have been brought against their operators by citizens and environmental groups. Neighbors complain of insect infestations, noxious odors, and epidemics of fish deaths caused by water pollution from waste runoff. In Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay is now so polluted with runoff from chicken farms that the crab population has fallen by 70 percent, and oysters are down to 1 percent of historic levels. In recent years, substantial press attention has focused on the humane issues of such operations, where egg-laying chickens have their beaks removed with a heated blade and spend their lives in cramped cages.
Chickens and eggs are sources of cheap, low-fat protein, but the low prices are made possible only by the abuse of the birds and the environment. In contrast, pasture-raised birds that roam freely on small farms, eating their natural diet of grass and insects, spread their manure evenly over the soil, making it a natural fertilizer instead of a waste problem. Chickens and eggs from small farms cost more to produce and may seem expensive, but we get what we pay for in better-tasting products, a healthier environment, and good neighbors.
The truth is, we don’t need to eat a lot of eggs and chicken. Instead of buying breasts, try cooking a whole chicken and using the parts for soup, stir-fries, and sandwiches. You’ll get several meals out of the chicken, and the cost per meal will be much cheaper. You might buy pricier eggs from pasture-raised chickens, but eat fewer of them. Breakfast is our most egg-intensive meal, but there are loads of other delicious possibilities for a satisfying start to the day, as you will see throughout the book.
ORGANIC OLIVE OIL
Because I consume it in such volume, drizzling it on soups and salads in addition to using it for cooking, I want my olive oil to be free from chemicals. Commercial olive oil production uses many pesticides that spread through the air well beyond the treated areas. These chemicals pose a health threat, as the residue on treated olives can enter the oil and even increase in concentration when the olives are pressed. In light of Europe’s olive oil scandal of 2008 (Italian producers reportedly mixed soybean and other oils, dyed them green, and sold them as extra-virgin olive oil), it’s wise to go with an organic producer that can verify details about where and how its oil is made.
Organic olive oil is expensive, but there are ways to get around the high price. Many co-ops sell bulk organic olive oil, and major grocery chains sell it at a discount under their own label. You can also buy directly from a wholesale distributor of organic products—something you’ll want to do with friends or office mates, as you’ll need to meet a price minimum in order to buy. When buying oil in bulk, store the extra in glass jars in the refrigerator to prevent it from going rancid. When you need more, simply let it come to room temperature and pour out enough to last for a few weeks.
FAIR TRADE ORGANIC COFFEE
Conventional coffee is usually grown in open fields requiring intensive treatment with chemicals. Organic coffee, however, is grown under trees, so that the beans receive shade and nitrogen, and leaf litter fertilizes the soil naturally. Because of the intensely harmful impact on birds of the chemicals used to grow conventional coffee, organic fair trade–certified coffee is recommended by the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Luckily, fair trade organic coffee is ubiquitous these days at many cafes and retailers, and not only does it taste good, but you can enjoy your daily brew even more knowing that fair trade growers in farmer-run cooperatives are guaranteed a fair market price for their