bugs in your frappucino?

cochineal bugs | photo: Zyance

Starbucks has recently come under fire by vegetarians.  It turns out their strawberry flavored drinks have been changed.  They're using a new ingredient...cochineal extract.  That picture on the left is cochineal bugs.  They're used to make food coloring. Only pregnant females are used; their outer casings are crushed and  processed into food dye, producing a deep red color.

Also referred to as carmine, this  coloring agent has been known to cause severe allergies including urticaria and asthma.  There have also been reported cases of anaphylaxis.

Because it is made from bugs, it is considered a natural food substance and some companies use it in place of petro-chemically derived artificial colors.  Also because it is made from bugs, vegetarians do not eat cochineal.  And I believe this ingredient is considered non-kosher.   However it is appearing in a wider and wider range of foods including yogurts, ice cream, candies, and some beverages.  Cochineal is also finding it's way into cosmetics as a coloring agent.

While I know there are many cultures that eat bugs as part of their diet, they are high in protein, research has not shown that these other edible bugs carry the same allergic potential as the cochineal bug.  I also find it very irresponsible for Starbucks, which advertises that it can made vegetarian friendly drinks, would change it's ingredients without notifying it's consumers.  Even those who are not vegetarian may prefer not to ingest this substance.  And why cochineal in the first place?  There are fruit and vegetable based sources for red coloring such as beets or raspberries which could have been used instead.

Don't want to eat bugs?  Another good reason to read the label.

on my mind monday 3.26.12

newspaper | photo:  mconnors

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  This is my snapshot of what I find interesting.  Information about health, nutrition, and/or holistic living.  Here's what's on my mind.

Methyl iodide off the market (for now) - I've been following this topic since I first found out about it at the end of 2010.  I was highly dismayed when California approved it for use in agriculture and began phasing it in.  Upset enough that our family has not eaten any strawberries coming out of California (even organic) since it was approved.  I'm happy to say that the decision to use it has been reversed.  Apparently the company made a decision to stop using it "based on it's viability in the  U.S. marketplace."  That means people made enough noise that BigAg listened.  However I still have some concerns.  the words 'U.S. marketplace' worry me because now I wonder where else they plan to peddle their poison.  I also intend to keep an eye on this to see if the company plans to try to reintroduce methyl iodide down the road after they figure the noise has died down.  Unfortunately we consumers sometimes tend to have a very short memory span.  We need to make sure that we remember this chemical and always demand that it not be used on our food.

GMO Labeling Law Wins Backing In Connecticut - Another positive moment in the press.  Some legislators in Connecticut agree that consumers have the right to know what's in their food.  Nay sayers claim that it will be more expensive for manufacturers to create two sets of packaging, one for Connecticut and one for everyone else.  My response?  Just label the stuff.  With almost half the states in the nation considering similar legislation it is not going to be long before other states follow suit.  At which point everything might as well be labeled.   Given the recent press about GMO crops being responsible for the decline in Monarch butterfly populations I believe more people are going to join the anti-GMO cause.  The eventual aim, as far as I am concerned, is not just to label (although I believe that is very important) but to stop using this technology.  In some cases considerable damage has already been done but it is never to late to stop.

This Land Is Your Land - This Time Magazine article about Joel Salatin is a great read.  He has a point of view that challenges the system but, I feel, in a good way.  He wants people to take responsibility for their food.  To stop seeing conveniently shrink wrapped packages at the food store without thinking about how they got there.  To understand the cycle of agriculture; to think about the food chain and how we consume.  We need to care, really care, about our food, where it comes from, how it gets to us, and how it's treated along the way.

Must Have Gadgets For The Kitchen - this article made me laugh because I often find myself drooling over gadgets that are one-purpose only or next to unusable for my actual kitchen needs.  Over the years I have gotten better and pared down quite a bit.  Just recently I went from three spring form pans to one (seriously, I'm not sure why I had three, I have never in my life made three cheesecakes [or anything else that required a springform pan] at the same time).  I've decided this is the foodie version of people who drool when they walk into a well-stocked hardware store.  You just envision all sorts of possibilities when confronted with all those shiny new gadgets.  I do have some kitchen tools that I will never part with but they tend to be the mainstays rather than the oddities.  My favorites?  My top electric appliances include:  KitchenAid Mixer, Cuisinart Food Processor, Immersion Blender,  and my Crockpot.  My less-than-stellar purchases?  Sadly I've made a few of those in my life because I got excited about the possibility of something and then never kept up with it.  There was the krumkake maker which is fun but I just don't use it enough, the yogurt maker which went by the wayside when I discovered that I didn't really need it, and the seed sprouter -- same deal -- I didn't really need it.  What are some of your kitchen must can/can't live withouts?


How to Save Seeds - this is something that helps plant diversity and supports backyard agriculture.   I confess to not being consistent with this, I need to work at it a bit more.


Hungry For Change - this is the new movie made by the same folks that brought you Food Matters.  For a limited time only (until March 31, 2012) you can watch a free online preview.  Definitely worth watching.  This movie talks about why so many foods are so addictive and how this is causing us to be overfed and undernourished.

disclaimer: cmp.ly/5

making maple syrup

liquid gold | photo:  Becky S.

This is a guest post from my friend Becky S. who lives in the northeast.  One day she happened to mention making maple syrup with the kids.  Definitely a cool learning experience for anyone but especially exciting when it comes from your very own trees.  She and her kids had a great time and she agreed to share the story of her first-time maple syruping.

Although maple syrup is a form of sugar, if it's the real stuff, it has some modest added mineral benefits as well.  One tablespoon provides some zinc and a whopping 33% of your daily requirement for manganese (important for bone health, nerve health, blood sugar stability, and thyroid function).  Definitely a better choice than the fake, flavored syrup so many people tend to substitute for the real thing.

Here's Becky's story:

Liquid Gold

Five or six years ago, we took our children to a local Maple Sugaring Fest. We were told the charming story of how the Native Americans discovered syrup, boiling it in hollowed logs by dropping hot stones into the sap. When we stepped inside the sugar shack, we were engulfed by steam. We got to see the sap being boiled down in large vats. It was at that point, while receiving my first maple-scented facial, that I became determined to someday make my own syrup from the trees in our backyard. There really is something quite amazing about boiling the bejeebies out of “water” from a tree to create sweet, amber goodness that my children delight in pouring over hot pancakes.

Two weeks ago, perhaps in an attempt to avoid spring cleaning the house, I found myself googling  “How to Tap Maple Trees” and discovered Tapmytrees.com which told me everything I needed to get started. Apparently there was no time to spare. In case you haven’t noticed, it has been a tad warm lately; not exactly the right conditions for tapping trees. In our case, a little ignorance was pure bliss...or should I say “pure syrup.” Here's what we learned from the experience and what we will do differently next year...because there WILL be a next year!

Helpful things to know:

placing the spile | photo: Becky S.

1.  Are you actually tapping a maple tree? Thank goodness for my “Local Flora” class in college. We tapped Norway Maples. Mark your trees during the summer when their leaves are easier to identify.

2.  A Spile is the metal tap that goes into the tree from which the sap drips. I found a kit with spiles and hooks at our local Agway.

3.  Drill the tap holes underneath large limbs. The sap will run much better in that location.

filtering the sap | photo: Becky S.

4.  Sap is sweet. Bugs and little fuzzy critters really like the way it tastes. Be prepared to greet guests in your buckets if you are not using lids. (Ewwwwww)

5.  Keep a cheese cloth handy when collecting the sap so you can filter out unwanted guests. (Ewwwww again)

6.  Have a cold place to keep the sap until you are ready to boil. It must stay cold or it will get rancid. We stored ours in 1-gal covered containers, surrounded by ice in keg buckets.

We also learned what not to do:

1.  Do not use a concrete drill bit on maple trees...or any tree, for that matter. It takes FOREVER to drill the 2.5” hole for the spile, using up the battery on your cordless drill and turning the wood into putty. Invest in a regular 7/16” drill bit. They’re about $8 at Home Depot. Better yet, call your neighbor to borrow his.

2.  Do not think tin foil will be an adequate cover for the sap buckets. Trust me, it’s not. (Read #4 above). Clean, sterilized gallon milk jugs are a great alternative to buckets.

3.  Do not wait too long to try tapping. Keep an eye on the weather and the maple syrup blogs. Ideally, the temps should go below freezing at night and above during the day.

boiling sap | photo: Becky S.

So, you’re wondering how it all turned out?

We managed to collect 10 gallons of sap in a day and a half from 7 taps. We boiled it outside (a must!) on a propane turkey burner for approximately 8-9 hours (divided over 2 days). Our final product: one quart of syrup that we affectionately refer to as “Liquid Gold.”

It is delicious!

Next year we are going for a full gallon!