{We interrupt this blog}

After more than 2 1/2 years of prayer and worry, my husband got a full-time job offer yesterday morning!!

Gardening plans?

I admit that after more than two weeks of acute bronchitis and a sinus infection (just diagnosed), I don't have a lot of brain cells left. So today at the Green Phone Booth, I'm leaving the talk to you. We're discussing garden plans, and whether you're branching out beyond your usual suspects this summer. Join the discussion.

Ready for spring

You know it's bad when the kids start asking when it's going to be spring...

I'm ready. I don't care if we're just teased with a few days of 40-degree temps.

Bring on spring!

I survived the eat from the pantry challenge

Making a meal from your reserves. It's not as difficult as you'd think.

Despite snowstorms, work, fussy children and going on two weeks of being sick, our family lived through our eating from the pantry (and freezer) challenge and lived to tell about it.

Even better, we added a few dishes to our repertoire.

We cracked open a breadmaking book, borrowed a month ago from a friend, and let the aroma of freshly baked bread fill our home. Our kids asked for it to snack on at breakfast, between meals, even after dinner.

We cleaned out the random items in our freezer, those half-used bags of beans, the boneless chicken breasts overzealously bought on sale.

I dusted off old cookbooks and cooking magazines, bookmarking ideas for winter soups and fruity desserts. We're even having corn on the cob this week, harvested at the peak of Indiana summers.

Too many winters have been spent saving the previous summer's harvest for a special dish, only to hurridly clean out frozen, frost-covered produce the following June. So this was a nice reprise.

And the fact we hardly touched a grocery store for a month didn't hurt either.

How did you do? Did you finish your month's pantry challenge? Did you find new dishes to enjoy? Have a cooking disaster to share? Would you do it again?

Regulating GE crops: Have your say

Genetically engineered crops I admit make me uneasy at best. As we don't fully know the health and environmental implications of genetically engineered food, the idea of it more fully integrating our marketplaces gives me pause.

Why does it matter now? Because the USDA is considering deregulating the use of GE alfalfa, the fourth-largest crop in the country. They are taking comments through tomorrow.

Conventional alfalfa (alfalfa that is not a GE variety and is not grown
using organic practices) has been used by farmers as livestock feed for decades
because of its high protein and low fiber content. Alfalfa ranks fourth on
the list of most widely grown crops by acreage, behind corn, soybeans, and
wheat, and is ranked third among agricultural crops in terms of value.
Because it is widespread and is typically grown as a perennial crop, alfalfa also providesimportant habitat for wildlife (Hubbard 2008). ...

Alfalfa is predominantly cross-pollinated and the flowers depend entirely on bees for cross-pollination. (USDA Environmental Impact Statement, Dec. 2010)

So what does that mean for you?

Our non-GE and organic farmers continue to be concerned with crop contamination
and market rejection. Independent studies in the U.S. and in other countries on
GE crops have documented a long list of reasons for concern, including evidence
that these crops lead to herbicide-resistant super-weeds and require the use of
more toxic herbicides. As mentioned above, organic alfalfa is used as feed by
most organic and non-GE dairies. Also, the policy set for GE alfalfa will most
likely guide policies for other GE crops as well. (Whole
Foods Blog, Jan. 20)

On top of the cross-contamination issue, the USDA concedes that the deregulation, or increased use, would likely increase the use of herbicides such as glyphosates, but whether the use of other herbicides would increase or decrease is unknown. (USDA Environmental Impact Statemnet, Dec. 2010)

The USDA is taking comments through Monday on whether to deregulate GE alfalfa which would allow it to be planted anywhere. Alfalfa is often used as feed for dairy cows and beef cattle, and cross-contamination with GE alfalfa would have an impact on these designations.

I agre that our farmers have a right to grow foods without fear of contamination from others’ GE crops—and that consumers have a right to make the choice to buy non-GE products.
You can learn more about the alfalfa issue here.