I saw this documentary “Food, Inc” a while back and couldn’t really get it out of my mind. Directed by Robert Kenner and narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser.
When we walk in our supermarket aisle, we rarely think about where and how the food got here. But his film will make you think twice. Beware, there are scenes with factory farm cows that is very disturbing. But it does make you not want to eat another hamburger again.
This film explores the corporate side of farming in the U.S. They mention Monsanto and their need to genetically modify seeds (soybean and more).
Monsanto have now increased their seed prices and many farmers are not happy. Now the Obama administration is looking into it. the New York Times reported recently, “The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year, with an apparent focus on Monsanto, which controls much of the market for the expensive bioengineered traits that make crops resistant to insect pests and herbicides.”
Monsanto isn’t just doing this in the U.S. but abroad too. They even want small farmers in South America and Mexico to use and rely on their seeds. And the villagers can’t win this battle, as the corn become cross pollinated and eventually end up as part of Monsanto’s GMO plant.
A great idea is to plant heirloom variety seeds saved by gardeners. My mom usually gets her seeds from other gardening friends. Especially seeds for eggplants and hot chili pepper. Seeds of Change is another great place to get organic non-GMO seeds.
After watching this film, I now read my food labels more closely now. I also try to support smaller family farms and business too. If possible, I try to avoid hydrogenated oils, cottonseed oil, and high fructose corn syrup.
I hope more people watch this film and demand healthier food and better farming practices.
A good way to start is to plan to grow some of your own food. You would be surprise how much tomatoes you can harvest each summer. And nothing taste better than fresh beets and corn from the garden.
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan will be included in my must read list.
“Michael Pollan is the author of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, winner of the James Beard Award, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which was named one of the ten best books of the year by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. Pollan’s new book Food Rules is now in bookstores.” - Books by Michael Pollan.
On another note: Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?
“Part of the reason is that a huge proportion of our food subsidies go to meat while only 0.37 percent go to fruits and vegetables. That makes meat and dairy artificially cheap, so we end up consuming more of it than we should, and getting fatter.” - GOOD.is
More info here from Good Medicine.
2:42 am on March 24th, 2010
I read a book by Upton Sinclair, “The Jungle” when I was in HS and it’s still very vivid in my mind. It was about the meat-packing industry back in the early 1900, it’s very scary to think now what gets grind into our hamburger meat these days.
If the plant that I don’t grow from seeds or from my dad, I get it from a local nursery and they grow their own seedlings in their greenhouse behind their store. Their plants are very healthy and they even sell their own seeds. It’s a bit more expensive but definitely worth it.
11:19 pm on March 25th, 2010
The Jungle was on our HS summer reading list too. I think that’s what got the to government look into inspecting our food more. It’s hard to imagine that the meat industry is still not that great - the poor treatment of animals and the outbreaks. But it’s good that people become more aware so they can demand change.
It looks like your town has more selection of nursery and more. Do you buy tomato seedlings too? I always see them everywhere. But my mom say they are very easy to grow from seeds. And just two plants give so many fruits all summer.
10:00 pm on March 26th, 2010
I buy the tomato seedlings, I only planted 2 in the past years, but I might grow more this year. My dad bought his from the flea market last year and they were too old and didn’t bear many fruits.
10:17 pm on March 28th, 2010
My mom prefers growing Cherry tomatoes because they have tons of fruit. She said the big ones don’t bear much fruit, mostly leaves.
If I had more space I would try growing the little yellow tomatoes shaped like pears. They are sweet and make great snacks.
9:36 am on March 30th, 2010
Just recommending two other documentaries you might want to consider:
1. The Cove — winner of 2009 best doc, beat out Food Inc. Very interesting; the [Japanese] did not know what hit them.
2. The Garden — largest community garden in L.A. No more today though, go figures?
9:43 pm on March 31st, 2010
Cambree, I thin out the leaves so it would produce more fruits, same with the Thai eggplants and chili peppers. I think it was my mom and dad that taught me that.
Have you thought about doing box garden, you don’t need much space and can be placed next to the house.
9:19 pm on April 1st, 2010
Hi PaNoy,
Thanks for the recommendations. The Cove sounds good… poor dolphins. And The Garden would be an interesting one. I don’t have Netflix anymore, but will have to see where I can get a hold of them.
9:28 pm on April 1st, 2010
Hi Nye,
My mom does the same thing too! I’ve seen her thin out the chili leaves too. But not sure of the eggplant. Somehow I thought the leaves would help protect it from the harsh sun. But if it works, it’s worth a try.
As for the garden box, that’s a great idea. I’ve been using those long store bought boxes, but they aren’t deep enough and the plants didn’t turn out. Thanks for the tip.
8:22 pm on April 8th, 2010
The leaves prevent them from producing flowers which then turn into fruits. I think it’s similar concept as the grapes where you’ve to thin out some little ones so that the remaining grapes would have more room to grow.
4:04 pm on April 9th, 2010
Cambree,
Did your mom used the chili leaves for soup and stew (ought or ought laam - pardons my phonetics)? My mom added them and it’s really tastey. The pepper leaves are not as bitter. Long bean, basil and other herbs are added in addition…talk about cooking that I will definitely pass on to my kids.
Nye,
I think this is similar to pruning fruit trees. Since I pruned all my trees last fall, they are producing abundantly this year.
9:56 pm on April 11th, 2010
Nye: That would make sense. I’ve been reading up on my pruning book and it said the apricot tree needs air to circulate so it would produce more fruits.
PaNoy: We’ve never made anything with chili pepper leaves before, but your description does sound very tasty. My mom likes to make veggie stew with amaranth. It’s actually very filling and healthy dish too. I think it’s call “Puk Holm”.