Daily Loaf

We’ve been hearing about the plethora of environmental films and docu-dramas out today that preach about changing our ways concerning our food, climate change, pesticide use, and so on (Food Inc., The Age of Stupid, Fresh, A Chemical Reaction, etc.). But did you ever look at Mad Max as an “eco film”? Its portrayal of a dystopian future where fuel is scarce and society collapses as a result, thus leaving humanity with a ravaged Earth and living in anarchy. (The scenario now sounds more and more like a possible future of our own.)
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Pedigree:
Created in the 1930’s, this cheese is named after the famed violinist, capital punishment advocate, magistrate, food writer and wanted man Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. It’s de rigeur at this point to quote one of Brillat-Savarin’s famed culinary one-liners, so let’s go with: “A meal without some cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye.” He loved his cheese, so it makes sense that a versatile triple-creme, Brie-ish cheese like this — which is easily worked into a variety of dishes and serving styles — should bear the man’s name.Brillat-Savarin is made from cow’s milk and comes in fresh versions and slightly aged styles that develop a natural, soft rind.

Taste:
If brie, Philly cream cheese, fresh chevre, and farmhouse butter engaged in unholy procreation, they would spawn a cheese like Brillat-Savarin. It is intensely rich, but with just enough zing to fool you into forgetting that you’re ingesting a massive amount of fat. Think Boursin, but refined, without all those fussy herbs and seasonings.

Uses:
Fresh Brillat-Savarin is one Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Builder goes green with their eco-friendly homes in Terrace Park, Tampa- One company, Rising Force Construction, has undertaken the task of creating affordable, energy efficient homes that promote sustainable living in Terrace Park, an established neighborhood just south of the University of South Florida.

Two more screenings scheduled for Fresh: New thinking about what we’re eating- You now have two more chances to see this new film about what’s wrong with the mega-industrial food industry.

Hope springs from tragedy: A city rebuilds to become better, stronger and greener- Greensburg, Kansas rebuilds to be an all green city. Vote in their green home design competition!
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Looking for something green-related to do this weekend? Look no further than our own Green Community Calendar.

Grand Opening of the Achievement and Relaxation Center- Friday, September 4; 6-9 pm. Free Belly Dancing, Yoga, Biomat/Energy Sessions. Vegetarian Potluck. Meditative Art and Jewelry Show. 813-784-2023. 2510 South MacDill, Tampa, FL 33629. www.achieveandrelax.com, Sheryl@achieveandrelax.com

Screening of Fresh at Studio@620- Friday September 4th; 7:30 pm.  FRESH is a film that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are reinventing our food system.  Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision of our food and our planet’s future. FRESH addresses an ethos that has been sweeping the nation and is a call to action America has been waiting for. FRESH empowers us to realize that our individual actions in fact do matter. Throughout the film we encounter the most inspiring people, ideas, and initiatives around the US. And thus, FRESH showcases real people first and foremost, connecting audiences not with facts and figures or apocalyptic policy analysis, but with personal stories of change. For more information visit http://www.freshthemovie.com/. 620 First Avenue South, St. Petersburg, 727-895-6620; info@studio620.org.

Ellenton Farmers Market- Saturdays; 8 am – 1 pm. Ellenton Farmers’ Market will be the largest year-round market in florida that specializes in “green” natural, organic and environmentally friendly products that makes for a healthier lifestyle and a better environment. Located just North of the Prime Outlet Mall in Ellenton, Florida (exit 224, Old Exit 43, off I – 75).

Saturday Summer Market- every Saturday through September 19; 9 am-1pm. Brought to you by the Saturday Morning Market, this market features the same great vendors (food, crafts, art) as the original market, but this one’s in the shade of the Mahaffey Theatre parking garage. 400 1st St S., St. Petersburg. (which is just 2-3 block south of our current location at Al Lang stadium).

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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Fixing sprawl and redesigning suburbia- Grant Rimbey CNU explores a possible strategy towards improving existing sprawl. Fixing the sprawl that we have, along with sprawl demolition and recycling, are strategies that could be employed in the future as a new green industry.

Nation’s largest solar facility to be in DeSoto County by next year- Florida Power and Light is currently building the nation’s largest photovoltaic plant in DeSoto County, a $173.5 million, 25 megawatt solar generating facility.

Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating screening – What’s wrong with the mega-industrial food industry- Struggling small farms, problems with food safety rules and the mega-industrial food industry, and a film about all of the above.
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“I’m mad as hell, and I won’t take it anymore.” – Howard Beale (Peter Finch in Network, 1976)

Mad doesn’t get me anywhere by myself, so I need your help, too. I helped found and operate a farmer’s market in St. Petersburg, FL. But no, we couldn’t call it a “farmer’s market” with integrity because we couldn’t find any farmers. So the St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market is a “fresh” market. After six seasons and well into the seventh, we got farmers – finally. Organic, local, and sustainably grown vegetables can be found at SMM. We are moving in the right direction.

It has been a struggle to find farmers to come to markets in Florida because small farmers are struggling, too. Why? In a state that has almost a year round growing season? First, while the US Department of Agriculture (The Fed) has an exemption for small producers/farmers, the state of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) does not! So, Florida’s small farmers are stuck with big creepy costly agribusiness rules – not fair.
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As a kid I never liked salads. Do all kids feel that way? I think they do. I recall wondering what they contributed to my meal at a restaurant other than something to do while waiting for my steak and subsequent dessert. And even at the nicest restaurants, they consisted of iceberg lettuce, 2 or 3 onion slices (that were quite awkward to eat) a wedge or two of tomato and some stale croutons. Then, of course, you could order whatever goop you wanted atop the salad. House dressing was something with oil and vinegar and too many dried herbs.

Does this sound familiar to anyone else, or did my parents only take to trashy places? Perhaps you shouldn’t answer that in fear of me needing some sort of therapy later. Read the rest of this entry »