As The Jew & The Carrot readers might remember, I am a complete fool for this chocolate cake - the one my mom made for every birthday party from about 1986-1993. Of course I adored - and still do - anything chocolate, but the thing that truly solidified my obsession was the icing on top: sweet buttercream dyed pink, green, or blue with a few drops of liquid food coloring. (I used to love taking the “hats” off the little David the Gnome-like bottles and watching the colors swirl into the white frosting.)

Unfortunately, according to the Baltimore Sun, in addition to causing cancer in lab rats, synthetic food dyes are now linked to behavior problems in children:

“New research indicates the chemicals can disrupt some children’s behavior, and activists and consumer groups are asking for bans or limits on the dyes. A prestigious British medical journal recommended that doctors use dye-free diets as a first-line treatment for some behavior disorders; British regulators are pressuring companies to stop using the dyes, and some are complying. The issue has generated much less attention on this side of the Atlantic. The FDA says the dyes are safe, and has no plans to limit their use.”

Considering the E. coli and Mad Cow Disease outbreaks in FDA approved foods over the last several years, I’m not so sure that trusting the FDA on this one is the best idea. It certainly would make me think twice about buying that Hannah Montana ice cream cake for my future kid’s bat mitzvah kiddush.  Luckily, I can make my favorite cake a lovely shade of pink or green by adding a few drops of beet or spinach juice into the frosting. (Don’t worry, just like Jessica Seinfeld promises, you won’t be able to taste it!)

(hat tip Treehugger)

From Dear Abby to Ask Umbra, advice columns are a time-honored method publications use to engage readers on a personal level, while sharing expertise and etiquette from a trusted expert. But what happens when the “expert” (and I use that term loosely here) is stumped with a question of her own? Today, I thought I’d switch things up and turn to you with a CSA-related quandary that has been gnawing at me for the last few weeks. Miss Manners might tsk tsk my table-turning, but this is the blogosphere, after all, and I’m desperate for a little good advice…

Dear Gentle Eaters,

After nearly being shut out of my CSA this year, I was fortunate enough to secure a share. My two roommates said they wanted in, so we split full vegetable and fruit shares three-ways, which cut down on the cost, and - I thought - meant we’d split the eating duties. But several weeks in, I seem to be the only one using the vegetables! Over the last three weeks, one roommate made a chocolate beet cake, and the other made a turnip mash (both delicious), but the responsibility of using the drawer full of broccoli, lettuce, kale, cukes, blueberries, and just about everything else, has fallen on my shoulders.

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Grainnns! Thanks to Saul Kaiserman for alerting us to our new favorite “potential” t-shirt over at Threadless. Of course, the obligatory follow up question is, what does a Jewish zombie eat? Chrainnnn?

Last week, Orthodox social justice organization, Uri L’Tzedek, ended their official boycott of Agriprocessors’ meat and poultry products, a little less than one month after it began. Their decision was met with some skepticism from many kosher and non-kosher keeping consumers who felt that they were just getting started. One reader of this blog commented:

“I also think calling off the boycott is premature, and I’m not ending my personal boycott, which has been going on for over 6 months. Agriprocessor’s has consistently shown they only respond to pressure, not good intentions. Now is not the time to let up on the pressure.”

I interviewed co-director, Ari Hart, to find out why Uri L’Tzedek made the decision to end the boycott, and where the kosher meat industry might go from here.

Read the full interview below the jump.

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Last Thursday, The New York Times published a front-page article about Community-Supported Agriculture. Not an article about CSAs filling up too fast this year, about chefs who will cook your CSA vegetables for you, or some other new angle - just an introductory, 101, “welcome to CSA” article.

On the one hand, a certain part of me feels cynical - Hazon and other organizations (like the amazing Just Food, which got a nod in the article), have been working to educate people about Community-Supported Agriculture for what feels like eons. And, the best part is, we’ve been successful! When I first started working at Hazon four years ago, I had to explain the CSA concept to just about everyone - and trust me it got old. But that is no longer the case. I just can’t help but wonder if this topic isn’t a little bit “past ripe” for the Times breaking news-focused front page? (Admittedly, I might just be jealous of the author and/or irked at myself for not realizing that CSA was still front page news at the Times!)

That said, I’m still thrilled to see CSA continuing to get so much media attention. And, after reading that some CSA members can’t even describe what Community-Supported Agriculture means, perhaps we really still do have a ways to go.

I’m feeling sluggish today. It’s rain-ish (not exactly raining, but close) this morning, which doesn’t help - and Yosh and I spent the last week on an engagement party tour - Tuesday and Wednesday in Silver Spring with his family, and Friday-Sunday in Chicago with mine.  There’s really nothing to complain about (both celebrations were great), but I am feeling a little bit “Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday” today.

While I pull myself together, I thought I’d share a picture of the amazing cake that Yosh’s sister made - complete with fondant icing carrots (for The Jew & The Carrot, of course) and a treble clef for Yosh.  It was hard to cut into such a masterpiece, but the carrot cake inside was worth it.  Check out another view below the jump.

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Change is in the air at The Jew & The Carrot. It’s summer and we have some spiffy new duds to show off. So drop by, stay a while, and check out our new features.

Keeping Tabs. Find out more about The Jew & The Carrot, browse through our Green Resources (sustainable kiddush or a kosher organic cheese list anyone?), meet the contributors, and more by clicking on one of the tabs on the top right of the page.

Recipe Archive - Coming Soon! The Recipe Archive will feature all the healthy, sustainable recipes from past posts. Looking for breakfast dishes? dairy/vegetarian recipes? snacks for a party? You got it.

Chosen Bites - Food News From the Web. This regularly updated feature (found on the left hand column of the page) will bring you our vetted list of the best Jewish and foodie news and ideas from around the blogosphere. If you have links or stories that you would like us to consider for “Chosen Bites,” please email tips at jcarrot dot org.

More new features, below the jump…

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In 1979, Deborah Madison helped to found Greens, the now-iconic vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco. Almost 30 years later, Madison remains at the forefront of the sustainable food movement and is the author of several watershed cookbooks including Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (one of my food bibles!) The Greens Cookbook, and the farmers’ market inspired, Local Flavors. She also writes regularly for Culinate, which is my favorite food website - aside from The Jew & The Carrot of course!

Last week, I spoke with Deborah about the changing nature of farmers’ markets, why she decided to include meat recipes in her most recent cookbook, and her favorite place to get a sustainable meal in Santa Fe.

Below the jump: Win a copy of Deborah Madison’s cookbook, Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets, which was recently released in paperback.

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Uri L’Tzedek - the Orthodox social justice organization that called for an official boycott of Agriprocessors’ products after the May 12th raid, ended their boycott this week, a little less than one month after it began. The Jewish Week reported in an article this week that Uri L’Tzedek’s leaders felt that Agriprocessors had taken enough “significant steps” to make them feel comfortable purchasing their products again.

Hazon’s Executive Director, Nigel Savage, is also quoted in the article, saying that the Agriprocessors scandal has stirred the Jewish community to think more deeply about where its food comes from. The particular impact that Uri L’Tzedek’s statement will have on other kosher keeping consumers, however, remains to be seen.

Read the article below the jump, or click here.

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This is the third installment of “Unboxed” - posts that demystify summer’s most seasonal produce. See the first two posts on rhubarb and leeks.

Every week, Shabbat ends with a sip of wine, the glow of an intertwined candle and deep breath of “besamim” (spices) during the havdalah ceremony. For years, I thought besamim was synonymous with “cloves,” which seems to be the spice-of-choice found in most havdalah spice boxes. It was not until I attended the Shabbaton at Hazon’s NY Jewish Environmental Bike Ride that I was introduced to the idea that besamim could mean fresh rosemary, lavender, or any other herb picked from the garden or field. What better way to connect back to the week, I thought, than to breathe in the scent of life, ground, and growth?

These days, I’m getting more than my fair share of besamim in the form of the basil, parsley and the other bright green herbs that show up in my CSA share. I love how they add a burst of brightness to just about everything I cook. But unlike lettuce or bok choy, I just can’t seem to use them fast enough! More often than not, I end up throwing out half a bunch of wilted, unused and just very sad herbs.

In hopes of lessening the amount of food waste going on in my kitchen (and I presume many others), The Jew & The Carrot presents tips for storing and using up fresh summer herbs before they end up in the garbage. Check them out below the jump.

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Two months ago, The Jew & The Carrot posted an article about the kosher-keeping couple who went undercover on behalf of PETA to videotape Agriprocessors’ treatment of the animals it slaughters.  Earlier this week, Jewcy published a great interview with the couple - Hannah and Phillip Schein.  Here’s an excerpt, and you can read the full interview here.

Has your view of Judaism changed since the Rubashkin scandal of 2004 and the various rabbinic reactions to it? (Especially rabbinic reaction to using a meat hook to excise the trachea and esophagus of a fully conscious animal.)

PS: I used to buy into the image that kosher meat was cleaner and more humanely produced because of the multiple levels of supervision and added scrutiny. However, the kosher meat industry is complicit in all the abuses of the conventional factory-farming and slaughter industries, and we have documented how some of the worst violations—the most inhumane practices—in recent industry history have been perpetrated in the kosher meat industry as standard operating procedure. In many ways, the additional oversight has served only as a buffer, concealing some of the most abusive practices.

HS: It’s been very disappointing that the first reaction by the Jewish community to our kosher investigations has been to circle the wagons and scream, “Anti-Semitism!” It is heartening that the Conservative movement has started to take a stand against the cruel practices that we’ve uncovered, and I have great hopes for Hekhsher Tzedek.

Welcome back from the long weekend! Hopefully, the last bits of July 4th merriment have been scraped off the grill and the leftovers are tucked into Tupperware for lunch. To help you acclimate back to the work week, here are a three tidbits from the Jewish and foodie blogospheres. B’tai Avon!

Calculate Your Carbon Foodprint. Edible San Francisco reported that Bon Appetit (the food company, not the magazine) wants to help eaters calculate and lower their “carbon foodprints:” “Bon Appétit aims to reduce its CO2 emissions in the highest-impact areas by 25 percent over three years…The company has also launched an online Eat Low Carbon Diet calculator, which will tell you the CO2e points associated with various foods, as well as a phone-based service: just send a text to 69866 with the letters LCD and the food you’re considering. ” Read the story here.

Democrats want their convention food local. The NY Times reported that The Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Denver, is facing myriad budget issues. Among them (though certainly not the most expensive of the worries): the extra costs associated with serving local and organic food. “Nick Agro, head of Whirled Peas Catering, questioned whether the requirement for local organic food could meet cost constraints. ‘These were fantastic ideas, but I question who is willing to pay for these extra costs,’ Mr. Agro said.” Read the full story here. (Thanks for the Daniel Kestin for heads up.)

Food shortages affecting Jewish food pantries. Increased gas and food prices plus rising unemployment rates, plus is equaling a serious crunch for food pantries across the country, including Jewish ones, the JTA reported. Michigan’s only kosher food bank is struggling to keep up. Read the full story here.

The 4th of July is coming up tomorrow - the day that commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and America’s independence from Great Britain (and yes, also the time when many Americans like to chomp on burgers and look at sparkle-y things).

In honor of such a revolutionary holiday, The Jew & The Carrot would like to salute the small revolutions that happen every day in our kitchens: the first time we successfully make a matzoh ball like grandma’s, cook kale from our CSA, or teach our kids (or ourselves) how to make jam. And no tribute to kitchen revolutions would be complete without a shout out to every home chef’s trusty sidekick: the humble cookbook.

The Jew & The Carrot contributors compiled a list of our favorite “revolutionary cookbooks,” - the inspired recipe collections that in some way changed the way we cook, eat and even view ourselves. Check them out below the jump, and get inspired for a culinary revolution of your own!

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Our friends over at Jewlicious - wild and crazy tahini fans that they are - held a “Tahini Taste Off” unlike any that could happen in the States. Unless you find yourself at a Middle Eastern specialty store, you basically have a choice between Sabra or the hippy stuff (my preference). But in Israel, where the official testing occurred, you can choose from any number of authentic Israeli and Palestinian varieties.

According to Jewlicious their mission was to “find the best tahini in Israel” by making up a mess of tahini and blind taste testing it with “random denizens of the Jerusalem Shuk.”

Find out which Tahini reigned supreme here.