Government control of our food supply is the ultimate step in our enslavement. Barack Obama has moved swiftly, and largely unnoticed by either Congress or the public, to seize authority over the very food we eat. The mechanism for this power grab is legislation that most Congressmen will vote for without reading, as usual, based on the synoptic introduction listing intended improvements. From the HR version: To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination, and for other purposes. Going through process in the House of Representatives is H.R.875, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. Concurrently being rammed through the Senate is S.425, the Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act. A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the establishment of a traceability system for food, to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspections Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for improved public health and food safety through enhanced enforcement, and for other purposes. That sounds innocuous, doesn’t it? These bills are being coordinated by their sponsors to stifle the debate that would normally occur during the reconciliation of the House and Senate versions: These bills have the legal potential to eliminate organic farming, destroy small family farms, outlaw natural seed banks, and criminalize even backyard vegetable gardens. Their overt intention, although nobody is noticing, is to force all of the American people into a more costly diet entirely composed of genetically modified plants and animals. How will this work? The genetically modified seeds are patented, so farmers who purchase seed from Monsanto are not allowed to save seed from one year’s crop to sow the next year. If they do, they will be sued out of business by the agri-giant. So once they get on the treadmill, they are forced to purchase every year from Monsanto. (Monsanto has even routinely sued farmers who didn’t want their seeds, whose fields were contaminated by Monsanto seeds blown from neighboring farms.) This could be a moot point, as the hybrids often produce sterile seed. In fact, there is a danger that eventually the world’s grain crop could become totally sterile, destroying life on earth as we know it, since even the animals that we eat feed on the grains. Whether deliberately or through their native ineptitude Congress permitted the American people to be softened up to accept this restrictive legislation. Fear for public safety was induced by recent crises from Chinese (April, 2007) and Mexican (July, 2008) food imports, among many others. Such events could be almost entirely prevented by adequate enforcement of existing laws and honest effort by responsible government agencies. But instead of correcting the failed existing system, the Obama administration will use these shortfalls as an excuse to pass even more legislation, and in the process, prevent Americans from providing for their own sustenance. Worse, after claiming freedom from the influence of lobbyists, Obama is doing this at the behest of agricultural giant Monsanto, among others. One of his campaign advisors was Stanford University plant biologist Sharon Long, a director at Monsanto. Obama appointed former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, so close to Monsanto that he often travelled in their corporate jet, as Secretary of Agriculture. Most egregious, Obama’s reputed choice to head the new “Food Police” agency that will be created by this legislation is Michael Taylor, who joined Monsanto as Vice President for Public Policy in 1998. Monsanto, you will recall, was one of the companies that produced Agent Orange, the herbicide used to defoliate the forest cover in Vietnam which was linked to veterans’ diseases. They also acquired the subsidiary that made the artificial sweetener Aspartame, linked to many reports of health problems because it breaks down into formaldehyde (embalming fluid) in the human body. On the European Common Market, Aspartame is banned for all children’s products. Why is this not the case in Canada and the U.S.? Because Monsanto – which owns the NutraSweet Company which manufactures Aspartame – pays off the FDA, the American Medical Association, The American Dietetic and Diabetic Associations, Congressmen and Senators and virtually anyone who gets in the way, and in other countries too. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation caught them red handed and aired a program where Monsanto was trying to bribe Canadian Doctors at Health Canada. From 1930 until they were banned in 1977 Monsanto was the sole American producer/marketer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), persistent organic pollutants which bio-accumulate in animals. Won’t a Monsanto minion make a great leader for the Obama food police? The rest of the world already resents being forced to use genetically modified seed from the United States, 90% of which is from Monsanto... There may be some unintended consequences for Barack Obama in these choices. His support is highly polarized — he has little among republicans and conservatives. And democrats and liberals are generally the ones who favor organic food and care deeply about the environment, so this goes against his political base. And, oh yes, Michelle and the girls just planted an organic garden on the White House grounds, amid much fanfare about promoting healthy choices. We wonder how that squares with her husband cozying up to Monsanto..................? keep your hands off of my food...... you have done enough damage .....!

razor clams.........................(siliqua patula)

although the pacific razor clam is found from california to alaska, only a handful of beaches have populations large enough to sustain commercial harvesting of this unique, sweet tasting clam... fortunately, the remote ocean beaches of the pristine olympic peninsula in washington state are ideal razor clam habitat, which gives the quinault indian nation exclusive commercial access to the largest single razor clam resource on the pacific coast... of all the razor clams harvested commercially, quinault razor clams are the most prized for their large size and succulently sweet white meat... razors live near the surf line, which means they can only be harvested at extremely low tides..... diggin' for these bivalves is a blast.... consuming them is even better.......! if harvesting yourself, check the local fish police to see if the clams are high in domoic acid (a marine toxin)... in the kitchen they are commonly dredged in flour, dipped in local buttermilk and pressed into panko to yield a crispy exterior and slightly chewy inside... we also fry 'em up and situate them or one big ass clam on a toasted bulky roll with lettuce, thick cut tomato, american cheese and green tabasco mayo..... ahhh- the razor clam......!

cooking heritage breed turkey

how to cook a heritage breed turkey this thanksgiving

1- go to a farm and purchase a heritage breed turkey 2- take a drink of some american made whisky 3- put the turkey in the oven 4- take another two drinks of whisky 5- set the degrees at 375 oven 6- take three more whiskys of a drink 7- turn oven the on 8- take four whisks of drinky 9- turk the bastey 10- whisky another bottle of get 11- stick a turkey in the thermometer 12- glass yourself a pour of whisky 13- bake the whisky for four hours 14- take the oven out of the turkey 15- take the oven out of the turkey 16- floor the turkey up off the pick 17- turk the carvey 18- get yourself another scottle of botch 19- tet the sable and pour yourself a glass of turkey 20- bless the saying, pass and eat out happy thanksgiving

virginia wine on film.......

the virginia wine industry's rise from humble beginnings and the tale of the creation of the states 2008 vintage is told by this engaging new documentary- VINTAGE: The Winemaker's Year... the players and places of the Monticello (ava) wine region in central virginia serve as main characters, filling the screen with bucolic landscapes, beautiful wineries and a range of european and american accents to tell this captivating story... produced by the oenophiles at silverthorn films out of charlottesville, VINTAGE: the winemaker's year examines the factors that make virginia unique among the wine-producing regions and AVA's of the united states..... for all that are interested in the history of winemaking in this country the film explores why, 200 years after Thomas Jefferson's failure to cultivate grapes at Monticello, the region is finally flourishing as a producer of quality wines... This documentary will also shows how virginia is an advancing player in the boutique wine industry, gaining national attention and attracting top winemakers, enthusiasts and professional chefs alike.... the allure of c-ville and the surrounding wine country is easy to understand in this fascinating film- the soil, the climate, the landscape and the local culture scene make winemaking an appealing pursuit... this documentary is available at: SILVERTHORN FILMS- 313 2nd street south east, c-ville, va 22902 for $19.95 + $4.95 SH..... and remember- in virginia, every vintage has a story......

what is local............?

when dining in some of america's favorite 'local foods driven' neighborhood restaurants one has to ask themselves- what determines that a specific product utilized in the kitchen by your favorite chef IS truly local............ who draws the parameters, and how do we keep the moral 'FOOD POLICE' active and how do we sleep at night knowing that some of the bragged about products on that favorite menu of yours are not local......... is 400 miles away local......? local cannot mean that a product was shipped in from over 400 miles away..... the carbon footprint on this product alone creates a conflict....... chefs and food purveyors in general usually practice local product procurement on the products that make sense geographically..... if your favorite neighborhood eatery boasts how LOCALLY driven they and their menu are- then offers up lamb from new zealand, how are you going to react at the chef's choice to bring in that lamb from over 3000 miles away to put it on your plate....... (the question is- do you even care) I would prefer to purchase the above mentioned lamb from a family run farm down the road that has adopted careful animal husbandry, rotational pasture grazing and other sustainable measures that will assure a low impact on the environment, put money directly into the community and allows me to travel to THE FARM to see with my own eyes that all of these standards have been met...... lobster from the cold coastal waters of maine are not local when served in the foothills of northern virginia...... do we consciously think of these facts before making that food purchase.....? prior to rapid mass transit, refrigerated cargo containers and factory farming the family meal plan and dinner choices were natural.......... you ate what grew in your region- hence no okra in vermont...... it just did not grow there....... but okra flourished south of the mason-dixon....... and come to think about it- there are no cranberry bogs in arkansas either....... as a professional chef I respects everyones efforts in the kitchen, and hell even I bend a little...... I have put sustainably harvested american (texas) shrimp on my menu from time to time...... and yes I am currently operating a 'local foods driven' kitchen in the piedmont........ but more over- I purchase 99% non industrial, sustainably raised, certified humanely dispatched meats (from blue ridge meats), as well as tons of local fruits, berries, nuts and tubers grown in rappahannock county to compile my weekly changing menus..... virginia has some true culinary treasures whether fermented, farmed, foraged or grown..................... traveling the hiways and biways of america you pass over 100 restaurants that offer crab cakes.......... is this right.......have you given it much thought...........!

virginia grape juice.........

with over 190 wineries, virginia is showing promising strides in the oenophile world....... meeting and dealing with virginia winemakers, vineyard managers, tony kornhieser's official champagne guy and legendary virginia winemakers like mike bowles and gabrielle rausse has brought me closer to the vine here in historic virginia..... I have become a devout virginia norton apprercia-nado and have also become a true fan of virginia viognier, cab franc and meritage..... most of these vineyards fall in the monticello AVA (an american viticultural area) situated in the central piedmont region of the state.... this area is nestled along the eastern slopes of the blue ridge mountains and encompasses the small ridge known as southwest mountain..... it is historic in that it is home to thomas jefferson's monticello, where he spent years trying to grow european grape varieties.... there are currently 198 AVA's in the united states, and a total of 6 are here in virginia..... there are 191 registered 'farm wineries' in virginia, I have well over 130 left to visit.... the winemakers make it easy to want to taste their juice, they like to compare the climate here to that of bordeaux, with humidity and the potential for rain (and even hurricanes) at harvest.... making each vintage an adventure for the palette, as a result the wines tend toward an old-world balance that emphasises acidity and freshness rather than big, bold cali-style ripeness..... here are some of the virginia grape juice producers that I have tasted over the years and more specifically over the past few months- while this blogspot sat blank and motionless...... gray ghost . albemarle cider works . barrel oak winery . horton . chester gap cellars . chrysalis vineyards . gadino cellars . foggy ridge cider . ducard vineyard . jefferson vineyard . narmada winery . prince michel . rappahannock cellars . the now defunct oasis winery (fricken white house crashers) . unicorn winery . veritas winery . williamsburg winery . thibaut-jannison . gabrielle rausse (the god father of va wine) . boxwood . barboursville . kluge estate (not even $100 million can keep a good thing going good luck to the trump family) . montdomaine (mike is the pioneer who applied for the monticello AVA many years ago) . blenhiem vineyards . hume vineyards . keswick vineyards . pearmund cellars . phillip carter winery . sharp rock vineyard..........

orrrrrrrrrrrganic.....................

non pesticide foods are definitely more safe for human consumption, you would be a fool to think otherwise, and washing DOES NOTHING for many foods.... did you know that lettuce is one of the food worlds worst...... every single leaf is saturated with the pesticides generally used.....! these chemicals creep in from the root system, and are in every leaf...... organic food is NOT a huge expense, depending on the food...... this country, and even this world is a bit backwards- just think, people spend 30 bucks on fake nails filled with chemicals...... they spend 60 bucks plus on hair cuts and dyes, but they don't give a damn what goes into their own body, they don't want to spend 1 to 3 dollars 'extra' on a bag of ORGANIC fruits and veggies........ -wow- if you are watching every single penny, as most of us are these days, watch the sales, contact the maker of your favorite foods and most will sent you coupons (printed on paper)...... or you can cut out something in your life, way less important than the food that goes into your mouth (aka- gaping pie hole)..........! quite frankly, the word ORGANIC does not mean pesticide free.... there are hundreds of articles about it, just do some research. the word ORGANIC just means it does not use the traditional pesticides..... for the most part, ORGANIC pesticides are worse than if they were injecting the stuff with plutonium.... copper sulfide is the pesticide of choice for organic farmers and growers..... and we should all know how highly TOXIC it is, and unlike DDT and other insecticides it becomes part of the soil, so no matter what- it becomes part of the food..... and that CAN NOT BE WASHED OFF........!