| What's So Fair About Fair-Trade? | |
| Joanna Falcone mothering Mother Who doesn't love chocolate? Valentine's Day does bring about a good excuse to indulge in its silky smooth goodness. But for most, chocolate is enjoyed as a treat year round. Traditionally, fair-trade is something that adorned the labels of gourmet chocolates. But today, more and more companies are adopting the fair-trade ideology. Fair-trade has a positive connotation, but what exactly does it mean for the consumer? 90% of the cocoa in the world come from small-scale production in third world countries from Ghana to Peru. Fair-trade essentially establishes a system in which the farmers that are producing the cacao crops receive a consistent and adequate wage to maintain a standard of living above the poverty line. In addition to ensuring a living wage, certified fair-trade provides a social premium for the farmers to invest back into their communities for social projects and infrastructure such as building roads, schools, and community health centers. Moreover, this extra money is designated to certain causes based upon an organized co-op of farmers. They can, therefore, decide which projects would be the most beneficial for the farmers themselves and their communities. Enhancing the communities, in turn, enhances the farmers' ability to produce cacao and support their families. In order to ensure the chocolate you are buying is actually certified, look for the Official Fair Trade Certified logo. This logo means that the production operations have been objectively monitored by an independent representative and deemed to meet expectations. Fair-trade also aims to encourage sustainable farming and development. Conservation and poverty go hand in hand. If producers are able to dig themselves out of poverty through participating in the fair-trade program, they are more apt to care about conserving the land. Sustainable agriculture also looks to the long term. Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers deplete the soil nutrition, and limit the amount of time crops can be grown. As long as the soil is healthy, crops will be more successful and development in these countries is nourished. Development is also jump-started because the money that fair-trade provides these farmers allows them to send their kids to school. These children receive a higher education, more confidence, and a greater thirst for success, which boosts the economy. Human capital= monetary capital. Fair-trade certification is based on the following: labor standards, sustainable farming practices, governance, and democratic participation. Then, the companies that buy from fair-trade producers must adhere to well-enforced standards as well. The standards make sure that the producers are paid enough and that 60% of the contract is paid to the farmers in advanced. What about non fair-trade? Is it really all that bad? Keeping the product cheap means cheap labor. According to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, the conventional cocoa industry has more than 284,000 children working in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms. There is evidence of thousands of children being forced into labor on these farms. It is basically a slave trade. In order for countries to remain competitive in this large market, bean and labor prices have to be low. Buying fair-trade ensures not only that you are providing a cocoa farmer and a community with a better life, but also that you are eating cocoa that was grown and cultivated in a "fair" setting. For some delicious fair-trade chocolate, Mother recommends trying Camino bars (tastofcamino.com) which partners farmers in Cuba. Or Alter Eco (www.altereco-usa.com) who use fair-trade cocoa from Bolivia and Ghana. To check out other brands that utilize fair-trade ingredients go to www.fairtrade.org. | |
Pinto Beans Galore! | |
The work of preparing beans in your own kitchen is worthy of the effort. Tinned beans come in BPA lined cans (for more information on BPA follow this link); tinned beans require added energy for production (creating a tin), shipping (tins with liquid are heavier than the beans alone), and disposal (more shipping to the recycling plant). I am exhausted just tracking these beans! Directions for the soaking and cooking of the beans are available on the mothering Mother website, in the tips section. Pinto Bean Soup 1 yellow onion, diced 1-2 T olive oil or ghee butter ½ t chili powder ½ t cumin, preferably freshly ground 1 carrot, diced ½ yellow, orange or red pepper, diced ½ cup sweet potato, diced 1 tomato, diced ¼ cup rice, rinsed 1 t salt 3 cups vegetable stock or water 1 cup cooked pinto beans ½ cup fresh yellow beans, sliced into ½ " lengths Fresh cilantro, chopped t = teaspoon T = tablespoon On medium heat, saute the onions and oil or butter in the soup pot. When the onions begin to soften, add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the vegetables: carrot, pepper, potato, tomato and rice and cook for a couple of minutes. This helps to let the flavor of the spices infuse into the vegetables. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Gently simmer for 10 minutes, then add the salt, pinto beans and yellow beans. Continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and the rice is cooked. Add the cilantro at the last, or simply add to individual soup servings. This is a general format for soup. Why did I choose these vegetables? Mostly because they are the ones that I had on hand at home when making the soup! Use your own ingredients, and your own creativity! Pinto Bean Dip 1 cup cooked pinto beans, drained, not rinsed 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly roasted ½ t cumin seeds, lightly roasted, OR ½ t ground cumin ½ t red pepper flakes, roasted pinch cayenne pepper ½ a lime, freshly squeezed 1 t salt 1 T olive oil Paprika to decorate Optional: Using a mortar and pestle, crush the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add additional water if the dip is too thick. Chopped fresh cilantro would be a wonderful garnish, if you have it on hand. Even dried thyme sprinkled decoratively is nice. This dip is good to serve with chopped vegetables. It is also delicious with a salad. If you are mindful of fat consumption, use the dip as the dressing for the salad. The salad can be topped with pumpkin seeds for extra texture. | |
Eating Our Way Out (Part 2) | |
Sydney MacInnis Are you wondering what to do with the legumes that you purchased? Are you wondering how to warm up this winter? When I first began purchasing legumes I had a tendency to leave them in the cupboard until moths prompted me to clear them out. Founder mothering Mother Holistic Nutritionist Don't wait for moths! Legumes are an amazing source of protein when combined with a complimentary grain. The aforementioned recipes use pinto beans for a soup and a dip. May this be a launching point for your journey. What is the journey? Well the one that we are following here is the shopping, cooking and eating journey. We are affected on every level by the food that we eat. Buying food that is prepared by unhappy hands, or stressed hands, affects us. When we purchase prepared foods we know very little about this energy. Preparing food in your own home with happy hands (it is not a perfect world, maybe mostly happy hands), gives love and care to the food that is passed on to you and your family and friends. Food loses vitality over time. It is ideal to prepare the amount that you will need for that meal and that any leftovers are eaten within the following 24 hours. In his book "The Omnivores Dilemma", Michael Pollan discusses the challenge for Americans around making food choices. We have no traditions and customs. I liken American eating habits to the way that people drive their cars where we live - all over the road with little regard to rules and lots of regard to self. As Pollan suggests, our eating choices need structure and boundaries. So, if you feel that you are ready, begin to create some structure around your eating and snacking. Each of our bodies is unique so begin to tune in to what your body is telling you, really listen. All of the wisdom is there and available for you to connect. Here is a thought - allow the food from Nature to have a leading role in your regime. Stay tuned for more next month from mothering Mother, and for your own internal awareness! Happy Journeying! Namaste, Sydney | |
