• 03Nov

    It seems safe to say that there have been few single issues more passionately debated in the food world than that of the production of foie gras. It is illegal to produce it in the United Kingdom. For a short time the City of Chicago banned it (although that decision has since been repealed). The state of California is currently under a deadline to cease production and sale of the product. Like Colonel Travis’s “line in the sand”,  chefs all over the country stood decidedly on one side of the debate or the other. Charlie Trotter became the poster child for the opposition, whereas people like Anthony Bourdain took strong measures publicly to help ensure its protection.

    Ancient Hieroglyphic Depictions of Cruelty

    Ancient Hieroglyphic Depictions of Cruelty

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  • 20Oct

    Disclaimer:  Since the original posting of “A Campaign for Raw Milk”, I felt it was necessary to convey what should be obvious:  That unpasteurized milk is a raw product that contains live bacteria, beneficial and non-beneficial, which under rare circumstances in these modern times have been known to cause illness—especially if said milk is acquired from a facility that is not licensed to sell it.  If drinking raw milk, it is of utmost importance that the milk comes from a regulated and certified dairy that holds a Texas State Health DepartmentGrade A Raw for Retail Milk Permit.

    I am neither a chemist nor a microbiologist, and the assumptions that appeared in the original post were based on research that I did, which heavily relied on studies provided by the Weston A. Price Foundation.  I’ll be the first to admit that I was blown away by the plethora of facts or “facts” that can be found on the internets purporting raw milk’s alleged health benefits.  After several conversations with a chemist as well as our local microbiology expert, Dr. Richard Sucgang, it appears that most of the health benefits of raw milk are to this day, highly questionable. Aside from the argument of miraculous benefits that some have associated with raw milk, I feel there are still extremely important reasons to support its production and partake of the bovine elixir. Swim at your own risk…

     That being said: 

    Honestly, I’ve never been much of a milk drinker. I wasn’t the type of person who would step up to the fridge, pour myself a tall glass of ice-cold milk and gulp it down. In fact, just the thought of that, even to this day, makes me want to throw up a bit—something about the way it smelled after I swallowed. I grew up around these people though. I was good friends with a guy who drank massive quantities of the stuff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Weird, I thought.

    Good Old Fashioned, Raw Milk

    Good Old Fashioned, Raw Milk

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  • 17Jun

    What is up with this?  No activity here for two months and now all of a sudden three posts in two days?  What gives? 

    I don’t know what to tell you…I just felt motivated.  Don’t get used to it though.

     

    Cows & Oaks by friend Mitchell Franz. Used by Permission.

    Cows & Oaks by friend Mitchell Franz. Used by Permission.

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  • 17Jun

    When I was planning these posts a few days ago I had no clue that the idea of humane vs. inhumane rearing and slaughtering could snowball into what it did.  Quickly, I realized that everything that I was thinking was going to take some time to flesh out and express on paper…err…computer screen.

    Humane-It’s a word that’s like the girl in the 6th grade that was kind of frumpy in May and then completely transformed by the time school resumed in the Fall.  It is becoming very popular. 

     

    Napa Valley Holsteins

    Napa Valley Holsteins

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  • 16Jun

    First off, it’s been kind of dead over here hasn’t?  Yeah.  I have no excuses.  I’ve been productive in other areas though—tons of yard and housework.  Last weekend we painted our bedroom AND worked on a dual purpose fence/trellis in our back yard.  No small task.

    I also wanted to point out and thank Houstonians for looking to me (cough) as their farmers market guiding light.  I’m very humbled…right.

     

    Bayou City Market Bag

    Bayou City Market Bag

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  • 15Apr

    It isn’t often that many of the things in which I’m interested, collide in such a way that easily wraps up into one tidy and squeaky clean post (local food, sustainable farming, garden updates, etc). In our house, the advent of each major familial holiday is spent pouring over cookbooks and old archived blog posts in an effort to come up with plans for the next big meal. Of course, the variables aren’t always that expansive—Thanksgiving is obviously turkey, and Christmas is usually a ham of sorts, but lately Easter has become the experimental holiday. Last year, after reading through a post by Anita at Married…with Dinner, we tried Judy Rodger’s (Zuni Café) Mock Porchetta. This year, again, I decided to go in a different direction.

    The River Cottage Meat Book

    The River Cottage Meat Book

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  • 20Feb

    It has been an extremely busy week, but I thought I would throw this story up (pardon the source, Anita…heh).

    Texas lawmakers are proposing a new medium for controlling the ongoing problem caused by the destructive wild hogs that roam the ranches of South Texas.  Closer to home, my family has a ranch outside of Yoakum.  I would estimate that it is nearly impossible to peacefully drive a 4×4 truck through four of the hay meadows (comprising of about 30-40% of the total acreage).

    Wild Piggy

    *Senor Swine

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