Massachusetts House Passes School Junk Food Ban Bill

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Feb 01, 2010 at 12:54:16 PM PST

Under the bill, schools would be encouraged to sell nonfried fruit and vegetables, whole grain products, nonfat or low-fat dairy products, noncarbonated water and juice with no additives. There would be no more sugary soda, cookies or candy bars, and fewer chips and sports drinks.

The man behind the bill was Rep. Peter Koutoujian. I've been following his work for a while, as this is NOT the first time he's proposed a totally amazing bill targeted at schools. In the past, he's tried (unsuccessfully so far as I could tell) to ban all forms of commercial marketing in schools. From the article:

But versions of the bill have stalled for years, encountering resistance from the grocery lobby and those who have argued nutritional values should be instilled at home, not by government.

However, Koutoujian noted, "Children are in our schools for six or eight hours a day, sometimes eating one or two meals. As good parents we should not allow them unfettered access to foods that are terrible for them. If kids are eating healthy at home, kids shouldn't be eating junk food at school. And if they're not eating healthy at home, they shouldn't compound that at school."

Also important to note is that this bill ONLY applies to "competitive foods" (foods outside the National School Lunch Program) and it exempts bake sale fundraisers. And... to top off this already great bill... it includes a Farm to School program!

Cross your fingers that this passes in the Senate!

The Next Time Someone Maligns a "Massachusetts Liberal"...

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Aug 26, 2009 at 09:09:53 AM PDT

I'm wrapping up the first leg of my book tour. I just packed. I've spent the past few days in Massachusetts, and before that I was in Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania. It was my first visit to New England as an adult, and my first time here actually meeting with people who live here instead of just doing touristy things like visiting Paul Revere's house. And... wow. Now I know why people put up with all of the snow and mosquitoes to live here. It's wonderful.

So here's a thank-you diary with my pictures and info on some of the amazing people and organizations I met. If you live in one of the states I visited, I hope you use the info here to get involved locally.

My Visit to Equal Exchange

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Aug 25, 2009 at 21:33:08 PM PDT

Equal Exchange is a company I have personally bought products from in the past (both chocolate and coffee), and I'm certainly an advocate of Fair Trade products. However, I'd prefer to continue advocating for ethical business models and sustainable practices without endorsing specific companies in exchange for a bit of free food. That wouldn't be honest to blog readers, and it probably wouldn't even make for very interesting blog content. On the other hand, we do need businesses like Equal Exchange as part of our movement, both because they provide us with Fair Trade products (so we can eat cocoa and know it wasn't harvested by child slaves) and because we want businesses weighing in on our side of political issues.

That said... here are a few pics and some details on my visit with Equal Exchange.

The Red Fire Farm Tomato Festival

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Aug 25, 2009 at 14:00:35 PM PDT

Below are my pics from the festival, which took place last Saturday. If you're in MA, the farm is not far off the Mass Pike in between Northampton and Boston. I highly recommend checking it out next year.

Attack of the Killer Tomato Blight

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Aug 22, 2009 at 20:18:13 PM PDT

Today, a different friend and I went to a tomato festival, where we could taste a zillion varieties of tomatoes and pick our own. The farm told us in advance that much of their tomatoes were hit by the blight but their cherry tomatoes were still OK. It seemed to me like they somehow survived the blight unscathed, which seemed weird since it's virtually wiped out the entire tomato crop in the Northeast. Those who went to the tomato festival last year say the farm had fewer tomatoes this year.

When we got home, my friend looked at all of the tomatoes she picked and noticed the one in the picture below:

Is that the blight? We checked online. Yup, it's the blight. So, can we still eat it? The answer is mostly no, with a caveat. Don't freeze or can any tomatoes affected by the blight. Don't compost them either - I've heard the blight can live in soil for years. If you really want to eat a blighted tomato, you can eat the unaffected part - BUT it's going to taste funny. Here's some good advice:

LaBorde admitted, ''I'm taking a conservative view and being cautious. In food safety circles, we have a saying, 'If in doubt, throw it out.''' He personally passes on consuming any suspicious tomato.

''If a tomato has been invaded by a fungus, its defenses are down and other organisms that could cause food-borne illness can invade it,'' he explained.

That's why he issued the canning warning, which McGrath endorses. The blight, a fungus infestation, can raise the pH level of the tomato's flesh to a level that makes it unsafe for canning. In other words, if tomatoes aren't as acidic as they should be, botulism could result.

But what if you have unblemished tomatoes growing on plants with leaves, stems or adjacent fruit showing signs of infection?

''They're at higher risk of developing late blight lesions after harvesting, so you should eat them or process them quickly after picking them,'' LaBorde advised.

He also recommends following the detailed acidification directions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ''Complete Guide to Home Canning'' as an extra level of protection.

McGrath said: ''The blight is not systemic. It only starts on the surface of the tomatoes or on the plants' stems or leaves. If a tomato's skin is unblemished, there won't be any problems inside.''

Surprisingly, I've found very little gardening help online for those affected by the blight. In short, take every last bit of your blighted tomato plants and THROW THEM OUT. Do NOT compost them. Then, don't plant tomatoes (or even other nightshades like potatoes) in the same spot of your garden for a long, long time. I did not find any guidance on how far away you need to plant your future tomatoes, but I found one anecdote of a gardener who planted tomatoes 100 feet from where her previous blighted plants had been and she still lost them to blight.

This Week in My Book Tour - Vermont and Massachusetts

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Aug 17, 2009 at 09:50:44 AM PDT

August 17 - Morrisville, VT at Apple Tree Natural Foods Market at 5:30pm
August 18 - Rutland, VT at the UU Church on 117 West St at 7pm
August 19 - Bellows Falls, VT at Rockingham Free Public Library at 7pm
August 20 - Roxbury, MA (near Boston) at Haley House Cafe at 7pm

Book Tour Dates Added in Vermont & Massachusetts

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Aug 10, 2009 at 07:09:46 AM PDT

August 18 - Rutland, VT at the UU Church of Rutland, 117 West St at 7pm

August 24 - Shelburne Falls, MA at Boswells Books at 7pm

In Rutland, I'll be hosted by Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) and in Shelburne Falls I'll be hosted by CISA - Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture. Thanks to these great groups! I'm very excited to meet them :)