Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

• Food prices: Like cheap oil, is cheap food a thing of the past? Interesting opinion piece from the NY Times. * Junk food: Why you can feel sick after eating junk food: Journey of a Cheeseburger. * Corn & mung ramen: Love the look of the corn and mung ramen on the cuisine.com.au site. Quick, light and delicious. * Mashed veg: Instead of having mashed potatoes – why not make Jamie’s mashed vegetables? Great winter food. * *My …

Read more 11 April, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

• More summer drinks: Last week I linked to green apple tea and this week A Life (Time) of Cooking has posted some more gorgeous summer drink recipes. * The chicken you eat: There’s been some interesting debate in the UK about chicken – the ethics and cost of what we eat. Sophie from Mostly Eating has written an excellent post on this subject. * Muffin recipe: I’m hoping to make a batch of Wendy’s moist bran muffins this …

Read more 18 January, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

• Gluten-free cooking: I was asked a couple of weeks ago about guidelines for cooking without wheat flour. At the time I posted some links and then this week I saw Gluten-Free girl has written a guide to using gluten free flours. * Ethical eating can be a minefield. Full of complex decisions about the value of food miles vs local eating vs fair trade vs organic. It’s hard to shop ethically and still stay within a budget. This week …

Read more 02 November, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

An article in the Eco section of today’s SMH asks whether we should be eating kangaroo – is it kind to the planet or unspeakably cruel? Supporters of the kangaroo meat industry, including Tim Flannery, claim it’s the best managed managed meat industry, from an environmental perspective, in Australia. While beef and dairy cattle are enemies of biodiversity, kangaroos emit far less methane and require considerably less water. However, opponents state the industry is inherently cruel and should be banned. ...

Read more 26 September, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

In a report that somewhat befudlles me, I read in today’s SMH that the ACCC has dismissed a complaint by some pork farmers into misuse of the phrase “free range”. The ACCC has ruled there is no difference between pigs who spend their whole life outside and those which only spend the first few weeks of their life outside, before being moved to intensive rearing enclosures. The ruling hinges on consumer interpretation of the phrases “free range” and “bred free …

Read more 18 September, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

• Over at the Guardian blog they’ve been exploring strange food combinations. Peanut butter and cornflake sandwiches, chips wrapped in naan bread, broccoli and marmite sandwiches, people are confessing their innermost food secrets. * Trusted MD and Envisions Solutions are taking the pulse of the healthcare blogosphere. If you’re a healthcare blogger, then you might want to take part in their online poll. * Veggie Meal Plans has a beginner’s guide to worm farming. * Perfect for this time of …

Read more 07 September, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

In today’s SMH there’s an article on one of my favourite local food stores – Alfalfa House in Enmore. Started 25 years ago, this food cooperative continues to provide minimally packaged, minimally processed, organic wholefoods at a reasonable price. Much of their stock is purchased in bulk, so you take along your own containers, fill them up and then pay by weight of volume. They sell a wonderful five-grain porridge, gorgeous dried apricots and one of the best olive oils …

Read more 28 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

This week the Australian Marine Conservation Society released an updated version of its Sustainable Seafood Guide. The guide is available from their website (for $9.95) and includes a booklet and wallet sized summary of the best seafood choices, to avoid over-fished species. Since the 1990s the number of over-fished species in Australia has nearly quadrupled. A situation which is mirrored internatlonally, with the collapse of marine environments and loss of seafood stocks. Buying sustainably caught fish is one way in …

Read more 25 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

For those of you in Sydney this weekend, Saturday is the Live Green festival. Focussed on sustainable living in urban environments, Live Green will feature stalls, workshops, seminars, bands and lots of local food. Jared Ingersoll and Kylie Kwong will be there cooking local and organic produce. Plus theres’s a panel discussion titled Sydney – the city that must feed itself. As well as food stalls there’s a produce market. * Date: Saturday 25th August * Time: 10am – 4pm …

Read more 22 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

• For all of you having problems with those afternoon munchies, Chew On This has some good advice on taming food cravings. Paula quotes research from the Journal of Applied Psychology which found “rather than actively trying not to think about the food you crave, it’s better to focus on an image of something completely different”. * Despite it’s salt content, I’m a big, big fan of haloumi – which means this dish from Figs, Olives and Wine is going …

Read more 10 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Today’s quicklinks is for the omnivores out there. I’ve just been responding to comments and in one answer I mentioned that one of the best meats to eat, here in Australia, is kangaroo. Kangaroo is low in fat, plus they’re adapted to living in our harsh environment and cause much less damage to top soil than cows and sheep. However, it’s still not a popular meat and I think most people just don’t know what to do with it. So …

Read more 20 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

This week the Herald included an article on eating less meat for environmental reasons: bq. Hey, carnivore, think you can call yourself an environmentalist? Actually, while you might want to drop that hamburger, you might not need to completely swear off meat. It’s a dilemma that has exercised the best minds. The Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki challenges people to eat less meat for the future of the planet, and the Australian ethicist Peter Singer, based at Princeton University in the …

Read more 07 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Half of me posts about the “adventures of a woman who once weighed 372 pounds but amazingly enough had not eaten every food on the planet. She’s going to change that, and she’s starting in the produce section.” Read more in her Lick the Produce section. The truth about women, hormones and weight gain: as Paula Goodyer writes “while hormones can sometimes be a factor in weight gain, for the overwhelming majority of us they’re not usually the primary cause.” ...

Read more 06 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

While there is a growing locavore trend in the US, here in Australia it’s still a fledgling movement. Most shops do not regularly display where their produce comes from, apart from an occasional “Australian grown”, which makes it difficult to work out what’s local. In the Herald, Robert Cornish decides to eat locally for one week. He shows you can find a wide variety of produce grown within a small radius of where you live, but it takes many phone …

Read more 27 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

• Family Nutritionist has a recipe for green and orange ribbons with fettucine, a lovely way to balance out the vegetable to starchy carbohydrate ratio. If you can’t get mustard greens you could use silverbeet. * I wouldn’t recommend this approach to anyone, but here’s what happens when a meat addict goes hard core vegan for one month. * I love the sound of these Turkish Red Lentil Balls – I think I’ll be cooking them this weekend. * Chew …

Read more 22 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

• Diet blog reports on a study which found overweight adults who were instructed to focus on lower-calorie foods lost more weight than those who were simply told to cut their overall calories. It’s about focussing on what you can eat, rather than what you can’t. * Vanesscipes posts a gorgeous apple walnut salad with rhubarb compote dressing, inspired by Barbara Kingsolver’s new book – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. * There’s been a wonderfully vibrant, impassioned and smart debate over at …

Read more 01 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Burger King, the second largest fast food chain, have announced plans to start sourcing pork, chickens and eggs from farms where the animals are not reared in cages and crates. Here in Australia, Hungry Jack’s is Burger King’s local franchise. The transition will take place over an extended period of time, with their immediate goals being quite small. Starting now, 2% of their eggs will come from cage free chickens, while 10% of their pork will come from farms where …

Read more 06 April, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

One of the bits I found interesting in the Matthew Evans’ article I linked to this morning: of the 166 species of fish available to chefs in Sydney, the top restaurants only use ten . As Evans says: bq. It’s a shame, because chefs cook seafood better than most home cooks can. They’re our inspiration, so it would be brilliant if they stopped relying on farmed fish and unsustainable species and showed their talents with the fantastic species we need …

Read more 08 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

The MSC is an international organisation that measures and grades fisheries on their management and sustainability. The core principle is that: bq. A well-managed and sustainable fishery protects the fish and the environment in which they live, whilst allowing responsible use of the species that come from it. The MSC has certified a number of fish products in Australia, most of which are available in supermarkets. These products display the blue MSC logo on their label and include: h3. ...

Read more 08 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Today is the Marine Stewardship Council’s second Sustainable Seafood Day. Here in Australia, the latest Bureau of Rural Sciences report estimates that at least a quarter of Australian fisheries are overfished. Of the 166 species available to consumers, only about nineteen have the sustainable all-clear. Part of the problem is lack of information to consumers, but also different bodies give conflicting advice on which fish are managed sustainably and which are at risk. Health-wise, fish is a low-fat source of …

Read more 08 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

When shopping at the supermarket it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the the choices. I’m an avid food label reader, but even I’ll admit it sometimes takes too long to make an informed decision. It’s easy to be overwhelmed and end up buying the cheapest item, or the one you always buy. If you’re in any way concerned about animal welfare, one of the tricky decisions can be in the egg aisle. Eggs are no longer just eggs – ...

Read more 28 February, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

An article on ethical eating in last week’s herald provides some useful information and resources. Making ethical food choices is tricky, there are few easy answers and, at the moment, there’s no centralised resource to help negotiate the issues. For example, many shops label their chickens as “hormone-free”, however oestrogen has been banned from chicken feed since the 1960s, so this is a marketing ploy. There is a strong perception in the community that hormones are fed to chickens, which …

Read more 25 January, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

The CSPI are also running a campaign to encourage Americans to eat greener : bq. Each day we’re fed over 1 billion pounds—and one trillion calories—of food. Our agricultural system consumes enormous quantities of fuel, fertilizers, and pesticides to produce the grains, meat and poultry, and fruits and vegetables that feed a country of nearly 300 million people. It consumes enormous tracts of land and quantities of water—not just for growing food for people, but for producing food for livestock. ...

Read more 13 January, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

After I posted about fish and sustainability , Cucina Rebecca asked where lobster or crayfish fitted into the equation. Were they over-fished and under-threat? I really don’t know much about crayfish, so thought I’d try and find out. After speaking to a number of people, it seems there’s no one simple answer to this question. Here in Australia we tend to eat more rock (or spiny) lobster and while they resemble true lobsters in a number of ways, they’re actually …

Read more 05 December, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Did you know that in the outer suburbs of Sydney, around Liverpool, Leppington, Austral and Bringelly there are over 2,000 small farms? These farms grow 90% of Sydney’s perishable vegetables – all our Asian greens are grown there, as are 80% of mushrooms and most of the tomatoes, snowpeas, Lebanese cucumbers, herbs, spring onions and shallots that we consume. It all adds up to a farmgate crop that’s valued at about $250 million per year. As Sydney grows more and …

Read more 28 November, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Disturbing reports over the last few weeks have painted a bleak picture of the future of our marine environments. At the current rate, it’s estimated that by 2050 all fish and seafood species that are currently being fished, will have collapsed. As the perfectly named Professor Worm says: bq. “Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world’s oceans, we saw the same picture emerging. In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems,” ...

Read more 23 November, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

The drought, here in Australia, is a complex issue – another perspective in today’s Herald.

Read more 20 November, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

The issue of ethical foods and sustainable farming seems to be gaining some momentum here in Australia. The recent Good Food Month included “ethical food” events , plus concern is being voiced over farming practices that may be exacerbating the drought in rural Australia. The release of Peter Singer&Jim Mason’s book The Ethics of What We Eat , along with The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Fast Food Nation , have encouraged many to think about …

Read more 14 November, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Over the weekend it was announced that 93.6% of NSW has been declared a drought zone. This means that only 2.7% of the state is considered unaffected . The area has increased from last month, when 89.3% of the state was drought affected and is higher than Queensland, where 61% is considered to be in drought. This has further increased the likelihood of food price increases, including meat, vegetables, bread and milk. The ABC reported : bq. The “Queensland Farming …

Read more 13 November, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Interesting article by Mark Morford, entitled The Sad Death of ‘Organic ’. After seeing an advert for Kellogg’s Organic Rice Krispies, he ponders if this means the end of true organics? The point being, if you take the word “organic” to just mean pesticide and hormone free, then yes the Kellogg’s cereal is exactly that. However, up until now, organics has meant so much more than that. At it’s heart has been the ethos of farming and manufacturing …

Read more 17 October, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

Good Food Month is nearly upon us – from the beginning of October Sydney will be a hive of foodie activity. This year there is a sustainable / ethical eating theme running through a number of events – from Neil Perry’s Ethical Dinner at Rockpool , through Becasse’s organic degustation menu, as well as farmers’ market tours and the Hawkesbury farm gate trail . If you want to improve your kitchen skills then a ””hands on class may suit. These …

Read more 22 September, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

While trying to negotiate the issue of not eating fish caught in an unsustainable way, you can add in the question of which fish contain the most Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Choice have a list in their article on frozen fish. There are also easy cooking tips here . Oh yes and the frozen fish article concludes that most brands use el-cheapo fish and are seriously over-priced, so don’t waste your money.

Read more 19 August, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity

As part of the Christmas menu I’ve been planning and testing over the last couple of days, I’ve been researching which are the best fish to use, in terms of sustainability. While Australia has a vast fishing area, as with other countries, our fish stocks are being rapidly depleted. Many of the fish on sale are from over-fished stocks, or have not been caught in a sustainable way. I found a good article on the ABC’s website. It includes a …

Read more 20 July, 2006