This article is cross-posted on joyofkosher.com.

Since a traditional Memphis barbecue usually consists of smoked pork served as a rack of ribs or “pulled” (hand shredded and sauce covered), it is understandable that the city’s 8,000 Jews might try to find a way to bring their five-thousand-year-old tradition of slow cooked meat to the land of the Delta blues. 

Wise Organic Pastures – The Processing Plant

This Article is Cross-Posted on KosherEye.com

Our Bubbie and “grand” Bubbies may have known how to make a famous roast chicken and of course, chicken soup, but certainly did not face the same chicken challenges that the kosher shopper faces today. Most chicken is no longer raised in the back yard! The consumer is now faced with numerous choices in quality, type and price.

Chicken has become a multi-billion dollar industry in America. Kosher chicken is no exception, but is somewhat more complicated. There has been extraordinary growth in kosher poultry sales in the last few decades. Along with observant Jews, many non-Jews and Jews who don’t necessarily adhere to kosher laws now purchase kosher poultry. Why? There is a perception that kosher certification adds a layer of clarity and transparency to poultry purchases. In addition to the FDA and government regulatory agencies, the processing plant must adhere to the specifications of a supervising kosher agency and rabbinical authority. Many consumers welcome this extra layer of inspection.

“I know it’s your day, but it’s not all about you…Why have a wedding if you’re going to be like that [serve only vegetarian options]?  Just print a bumper sticker.”

Did this article that concluded with this choice comment in today’s NY Times Sunday Styles section annoy others as much as it annoyed me?  Of course weddings should reflect one’s values, so if you’re kosher, or vegan, or vegetarian, why wouldn’t you serve kosher, vegan, or vegetarian food?  As the vegan Kathleen Mink quoted in the article said, it was  a “no brainer” to have a vegan menu at her and her husband’s wedding.  But another vegan pastry chef served meat at her wedding because she was afraid celebrity chefs like Eric Ripert and Daniel Boulud would think she and her husband “were crazy” if they didn’t serve meat. 

Originally from The Wall Street Journal, by Ben Worthen

Michael Pollan, author of “Omnivore’s Dilemma” and other popular books, has become a figurehead for the local-food movement, which advocates buying in-season produce from nearby farms.

Proponents say such food is healthier and that the way it is grown and shipped is better for the environment. But it often is more expensive. Mr. Pollan says the real problem is that subsidies keep the prices of some, largely mass-produced foods artificially low.

Still, he tries to strike a middle ground between advocate and realist. In his Berkeley living room, the 55-year-old Mr. Pollan discussed where he shops for food and why paying $8 for a dozen eggs is a good thing:

This article is cross-posted on joyofkosher.com.

Verdant forests, misty ocean air, snow covered mountains.  It is the perfect setting for a Tolkien trilogy, a well-chilled Sauvignon Blanc, or a controversial ban on kosher slaughter.  The enactment of the Animal Welfare Commercial Slaughter Code last May effectively outlawed Jewish ritual slaughter in New Zealand. 

Just two weeks after Anna Hanau’s posting about the kashrut of locusts, we have a fascinating article from The Forward about an unusual event at Jerusalem’s famed Eucalyptus restaurant. Arranged by Ari Zivotofsky and Ari Greenspan, two Israeli medical professionals, the Mesorah Dinner brought together observant diners for a series of unusual dishes that appeared, at least superficially, to push the boundaries of kashrut.

By Nina Budabin McQuown. Originally posted on PursueAction.org.

For months now, I’ve been getting emails from food sustainability organizations with subject lines like “Kiss Your Organics Goodbye!” and “48 Hours to Stop Monsanto’s GM Alfalfa!” They’re in reference to a genetically modified strain of alfalfa that is in testing for public use by the United States Department of Agriculture.

What’s wrong with the alfalfa? Well, for one thing, it’s made by Monsanto, a corporation with a reputation for lawsuit slinging and questionable ethics. It’s also “roundup ready,” meaning it’s engineered to withstand applications of Monsanto’s herbicide “roundup,” so farmers can slather on the weed killer without worrying about damaging their crop. But plenty of sustainability advocates would simply tell you that what’s wrong with the alfalfa is that it’s a GMO–that is, a genetically modified organism produced through human engineering.

What’s in the bag?!

Hazon is now accepting applications from communities looking to start a CSA for the 2011 season.  Hazon’s Community-Supported Agriculture Project is a great way to bring your community together: fresh, local, organic food delivered to your synagogue or community center every week; potluck dinners and thoughtful programming to explore the connections between being Jewish, the food we eat, and the world we live in.

If you’d like to find out more, read about Starting a Hazon CSA or Hazon’s CSA Vision & Impact.  Applications can be downloaded here and are due September 7th.

If you’re in the northeast, consider a trip with the whole family to Adamah and Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center on August 15th for their annual fundraiser gourmet brunch and farm tour, Feast in the Field.

You can even come for the whole weekend and enjoy a relaxing Shabbat on the farm. Food is glatt kosher, and much of it is grown organically right at the Adamah farm!

More info and RSVP here

This article is cross-posted on joyofkosher.com.

Growing up in Florida, I took the beach for granted. I lived less than 20 minutes away from the Atlantic Ocean and when people asked if I was near a beach, I said no.  Like old men in shorts wearing knee-high dress socks and dinner that starts at four in the afternoon, people think and act differently in Florida. 

Cross-posted to heebnvegan

My interview from earlier this month was featured on Our Hen House‘s podcast this weekend. We talked about Torah teachings about compassion for animals, how well Judaism and vegetarianism mesh together, kosher slaughter, the new Jewish food movement, and vegan versions of traditional Jewish foods.

We’re excited to announce the launch of  Grow and Behold Foods!  We’re currently offering pastured chicken for pick up at five delivery locations in the NY/NJ area — order by Sunday for pick up next week!  Pasture-raised beef and mail order will be available later this summer—stay tuned!

Grow and Behold Foods brings you delicious pastured meats raised on small farms nestled in the rolling hills of the Northeast.  Our meats are produced in limited quantities to ensure that we adhere to the strictest standards of kashrut, animal welfare, worker treatment, and sustainable agriculture.

And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Percy Shelley, “Ozymandias”

On February 26th 1993, terrorists detonated a 1,500 pound urea nitrate bomb in a parking garage beneath the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Though the attackers failed in their goal of collapsing both towers, six people were killed and over a thousand injured. Two years later, an impressive granite fountain bearing the names of the dead was installed over the site of the bombing to serve as a memorial for those lost. Six years after its installation, the memorial was itself lost in the 9/11 attacks. A fragment of the shattered fountain, recovered from a site of such complete destruction that it’s been nicknamed “Ground Zero,” will be incorporated into a new memorial structure for victims of the 1993 and the 2001 attacks.

By Ronit Treatman, published in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice July 11, 2010.

When Abraham and Sarah embarked on their journey from Ur to Canaan, what snacks did they bring along? It is safe to imagine that Sarah packed some roasted, ground locusts in a leather bag. Locust powder was the ancient energy food of the Near East, and the tradition of eating locusts remains in the Yemenite Jewish community. If you are brave and adventurous enough, it is possible to reach back to the origins of our Jewish tradition, and taste the original protein energy food. Full Article >