I’m like a kid in a candy store these days at the farmer’s market. Living on the northeast gives us only a few blessed months of amazing local variety. Making jam is a great way to literally preserve these fresh summer flavors for at least a few weeks. I posted an easy recipe over on Jewcy’s The Daily Shvitz, where I write regularly about food. If you so desire, you can use pectin to preseve it longer than a few weeks in the fridge, or do some research on other canning methods. Whatever your method, don’t be afraid of the sugar — jam is sweet like the summer.

Rabbi Morris Allen has served Congregation Beth Jacob outside of St. Paul, Minnesota for 22 years. In his “spare time,” he is also the founder of Hechsher Tzedek – a proposed certification put forward by the Conservative movement last December that would endorse foods that are traditionally kosher and also produced in a socially just and sustainable way.

Hecsher Tzedek has received significant acclaim, and also sharp criticism since the idea was piloted eight months ago. I spoke with Rabbi Allen recently to find out the latest news.

“Kashrut is not simply a statement about what we can and cannot eat,” Rabbi Allen told me. “There are so many people who worry about whether a cow’s lung is smooth [glatt] or not, but have no worry about whether someone’s hand was mutilated in the process.”

After my goose bumps subsided, I asked him what this vision looked like in practice. He identified six criteria that will be the “meat and potatoes” of Hechsher Tzedek as it develops:

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Last month, at Boston’s eclectic Lizard Lounge, between sets of one of my new favorite bands, Session Americana, I chatted with the delightful and hard-working Verena Wieloch, farm coordinator of the 17 acre, non-profit, community based, and organic Gaining Ground Farm, at Thoreau’s birthplace in Concord, MA.

The property has been under cultivation for more than 300 years, but since 1994 has been run as a mostly volunteer (Last year, volunteers contributed a record 4,200 hours of their time to work and learn in Gaining Ground’s gardens.), all organic operation, which donates all of its produce to area food pantries and meal programs, all within 20 miles of the farm, and all within 24 hours of harvest!

They run a great reading program for area kids called ‘Read For Seeds‘, in which classes learn about organic farming, hunger relief, and community service, while reading for pledges which buy the seeds, which become the thousands of pounds of fresh organic produce which is given away each year to folks in need. The Gaining Ground website, filled with photos, gardening wisdom, and farm info, is concise and compelling. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer and contribute to this very community-centered project.

The New York Times reported this week that New York City’s oldest diner, Moondance, is moving…to Wyoming.  While property values skyrocket throughout the five boroughs, La Barge, Wyoming residents, Cheryl and Vince Pierce, “stole” Moondance for a tag-sale rate of $7500.  The diner, which features many of its original furnishings, will travel across the country on the back of a flat bed truck, before settling in its new home.  That’s one less restaurant for New York City, and one (total) restaurant for La Barge.

The whole situation is sadly fitting.  With Starbucks on every corner and $25 omelettes on brunch menus, Manhattan is no longer the kind of place for a place like Moondance.  In last week’s parsha, Eikev, Moses lies on his deathbed as the Jewish people are about to cross into the land of milk and honey they’ve been wandering towards for forty years.  He commands them to beware and avoid the belief that ”my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth,” - in other words, to remain humble despite their new plentiful existence.   

Hopefully, as Moondance makes its own journey towards a new home, New York - a city made beautiful by quirky diners and drab by each Frappucino - can take Moses’ message to heart. 

Read the article here.

The other day it occurred to me that my relationship with food is an ever changing one. The foods that delighted me as a child have lost some of their mystic in my adult years. Lollipops are nothing more than a sticky mess waiting to happen, while bags of Chips Ahoy cookies have lost their luster in the wake of homemade coconut biscotti or beignets. Looking back I realize these changes began when I moved into my first apartment and, faced with an barren kitchen and an empty stomach, began my love affair with cooking and baking. Little by little pre-packaged foods became a thing of the past, and I happily hovered in this state of from-scratch-eating until this past May, when I began working at Hazon. Since that momentous first day in Hazon’s office - not to mention our Cleanse experience - my relationship with food has changed once again. I still cook and bake, but I’ve also become a vegetarian by default - by which I mean that I still love my steaks and relish a good burger, but will only eat ethically raised/slaughtered meat, which is woefully difficult to come by in today’s commercial market. Our produce is organic now too, as is our milk, and the resulting rise in our weekly grocery bill made me marvel at how all the discounts you get with a ‘grocery store card’ are for cheap, processed food.

In a recent interview with chef and author Rick Bayless I had the opportunity to explore this developing relationship with sustainable, seasonal foods. When I wasn’t admiring his awareness of the environment, and our relationship to it through food, I was imagining the delectable dishes that must grace the tables of his restaurants as a result. He gave me much food for thought, sharing his views about farming while discussing his Frontera Farmer’s Foundation: Read more »

Once, a man came to his rabbi and said, “Rabbi, at home I keep strictly kosher. I do everything by the book, but when I go out, I can’t be so kosher. I’m not so strict when I eat out, but at home everything is 100% kosher.” The man’s rabbi replied, “Ok, you’re very lucky, all of your dishes will go straight to heaven!”

I’d like to turn this old joke on its head for a moment. We’re here at this site because we care about our food’s impact on our bodies, our community and our planet. Many of us consider the choices we make as conscious consumers to be “eco-kosher.” That is, we want our food to be “fit” (ethically, chemically, socially, spiritually) for consumption, and we try to base our purchasing decisions on these values.

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Last week, our Berkeley Tuv Ha’Aretz held a zucchini recipe contest. Since joining Tuv Ha’Aretz, we’ve received zucchini every week. Not only did we have fun, but we got some coverage in our local Jewish newspaper (it helps that a Tuv Ha’Aretz volunteer, myself, used to work for the paper.) Anyhow, here’s the article, or you can read it at jweekly.com

Food boxes ‘good for the land’ and good for Jews
by alexandra j. wall
correspondent

Bulgarian frittata with zucchini, feta and dill; dill zucchini pancakes with mint; zucchini in yogurt; zucchini sauté.

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My husband and I have been farming in the suburbs of Washington, DC for four years. The sprawl galloping towards us has been great for business. Families settling into new homes are eager for a taste of the countryside that lured them out here. Our CSA program has a growing wait list of folks eager to chomp on a “real” tomato and bring the kids out for a picnic in paradise. Unfortunately, much of the remaining paradise between tracts of new homes is disappearing, making way for housing developments with lofty names like “Hopewell’s Landing” and, ironically, “The Reserve at Jamison’s Farm.” Country roads are expanding ever wider with more turn lanes to more strip malls.

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Hazon’s mission is to foster a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community as a step towards a healthier and more sustainable world for all.  Our programs are focused around two pillars: bikes (and physical health more broadly) and food. 

So I was very excited to find out about two upcoming bicycle rides that are focused entirely around food:

Tour de Blintz: Visit Greater Vancouver’s Jewish restaurants, delis and bakeries - by bicycle!  Guided tours available Aug 12, 19, and 26.  A self-guided version will be available Aug 31.  The August 12 and 19 tours will be all kosher.  More info / register here.

Tour d’Organics: Ride from one organic, family farm to the next, enjoying the beautiful scenery and delicious fresh produce along the way.  (What could be better than riding 25 miles to be greeted at a rest stop by a fresh, juicy peach?)  Rides include: Santa Cruz, Aug 25, Sebastopol, CA, Sept 16, and Portland, OR, Oct 6.  More info / register here.

If you know of any other food focused bike rides, comment below or send them to tips@jcarrot.org