Industrial Meat ( We Are What We Eat)

Michael Pollan has been at the forefront of progressive food journalism. In “Power Steer” he documents the life cycle from birth to dinner plate of No. 534, the steer he purchases to study and then eat for dinner. The article is an illuminating depiction of how our modern day industrialized food supply system functions in terms of the quality (or lack of) and welfare of the animal, land and water , workers, and consumers. Go to the below sites to read the article or click on “Power Steer” link to to the right.

http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Power-Steer-Pollan31mar02.htm

http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=14

The Tomato

The tomato is thought to have first evolved in the western highlands of South America and was cultivated as early as 700A.D. by the Incas and Aztecs. It was brought over to Europe in the 16th Century. It contains Vitamin A and C, a powerful antioxidant lycopene, iron, fiber, and calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. It grows in New England from mid to late spring being harvested in mid to late summer. It grows in rich acidic soil and needs frequent watering. There are dozens of commercial varieties and 100’s of heirloom varieties (open-pollinating and handed down over many generations).

WA Dining Hall Offers Local Food: Campus Garden (click on photo)

From the vine to the plate in a day, the W.A. dining hall has taken giant steps in how it provides food to the WA community. Misha Shtivelman, WA Dining Hall Director, and his staff have offered tomatoes from a campus garden, local apples, squash, cucumbers, and peaches since the start of the school year. Organic selections have also expanded from mixed greens to peppers, carrots, and broccoli. I ask what is so important about these changes?

The following are links to state farmers markets and farms
http://www.greaterworcesterfarmersmarket.com/
http://www.thekaleidoscope.com/Farm04/farmap/farmlist.htm
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/
http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/
http://www.umassvegetable.org/food_farming_systems/csa/farms_ma.html

This is it

This blog is a test run for facilitating the environmental science classes, studies, and action at Worcester Academy.