Learn how to make fresh, tasty and healthy carrot juice at home using a blender, you don't need juicer or slow juicer to make this. This easy recipe comes together in just a few minutes with three simple ingredients like carrot, sugar and water. Homemade fresh carrot juice is a joy to make at home,...
The post Carrot Juice Recipe appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
Homemade oat milk is a healthy, dairy free milk made from oats and water. It is a great alternative for people who are following a vegan diet. All you need is two ingredients, oats and water, just blend, strain and enjoy. You don't need any special methods or fancy tools. This homemade oat milk is...
The post Homemade Oat Milk Recipe appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
That extra basket of cucumbers from your garden can not only get you juicy tomatoes in return, but ... Read More
The post How to Start a Neighbourhood Fruit and Vegetable Exchange appeared first on Garden Therapy.
Homemade seed crackers are one of the healthy and easy snacks made with flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and halim (garden cress) seeds. These crackers are naturally gluten-free, rich in fibre, and plant-based protein. They turn super crisp in the oven and are perfect for snacking, serving on a cheese...
The post Seed Crackers Recipe (Gluten-Free, No Flour Crackers) appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
Breakfast in a bowl ? Sounds delicious, isn't it ? This Avocado banana smoothie bowl is a creamy and refreshing recipe that is packed with nutrients. It is made with ripe avocado, banana, milk, apple and basil seeds. It hardly takes 5 to 10 minutes to make and you will have a delightful crunch, creamy...
The post Avocado Banana Smoothie Bowl Recipe appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
Ragi Roti also known as Ragi Chapati or Finger millet chapati or nachni roti is a Gluten free chapati recipe made with ragi flour, salt, ghee. It has no other flour like wheat flour added. This soft and puffy ragi chapati is made with only ragi flour. This version of ragi roti is soft, easy...
The post Ragi Roti Recipe (Finger Millet Chapati) appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
Millet vegetable pulao, also known as siruthaniya pulao, is a simple one pot meal made with millet, mixed vegetables, whole spices, green chillies, mint and coriander leaves. In this recipe, learn how to make this healthy and delicious millet pulao that is tasty like regular rice pulao and is perfect for lunch or dinner. Serve...
The post Millet Pulao Recipe appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
Millet Urad Dal Porridge is a healthy and tasty porridge which is made with Saamai and urad dal. This easy porridge recipe is made with garlic, Fenugreek seeds and milk. It gives energy and soothing effect to our body. This Saamai ulundu kanji is also known as little millet dal porridge. Millet Urad Dal Porridge...
The post Millet Urad Dal Porridge Recipe appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
Imagine a warm, comforting taste of oatmeal mixed with the soft, sweet flavour of ripe banana, that's exactly what this banana oat muffin tastes in every bite. The combination of oats, wheat flour and banana make the muffin more healthier and filling , so it is the perfect recipe for breakfast, travel, kids lunch box...
The post Banana Oat Muffins Recipe appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
Aloo chana chaat is a tasty and healthy Indian street food recipe . It can be made easily and quick. This is also known as potato chickpea chaat and spicy aloo chana salad. This easy snacks recipe uses easily available ingredients like boiled potatoes, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes and coriander leaves. These are mixed with green...
The post Aloo Chana Chaat Recipe appeared first on Yummy Tummy.
A few weeks ago we published the first in a new series of articles, Know Your Food. It was born out of the realisation that most people know surprisingly little about what they eat, and to apply a bit of Hackaday curiosity to received opinion on the subject. As we put it then: “To know both how common foodstuffs should be made, as well as how they are made industrially, should be an essential for everyone” We’ll continue in that vein, with a look at organic food.
If you buy your food in a supermarket it’s likely that in the vegetable aisle you’ll be presented with a choice. On one hand you will have the normal vegetable, and on the other and usually for a slightly higher price, the organic version of the same vegetable. What’s going on?
Organic production is a system of agriculture that emphasises natural fertilisers, pesticides, and farming methods over synthetic or intensive ones. It has its roots in the first half of the 20th century, and as the decades progressed it has become an important sector of agricultural industry. I grew up steeped in organic agriculture because my grandfather was an early adherent in the years following the war, so I’ve seen it from the sharpest end. There is a lot to commend organic production for and plenty of reasons to embrace it, but with that come some problematic aspects, and even dubious claims. Here I’ll try to unpick some of that.
It’s tempting to believe that all organic production is somehow a return to a 19th century rural idyl, complete with the obligatory chickens in the farmyard. Some organic producers do take a slice of this back-to-the-land approach to their craft, but the reality of organic farming is a very modern approach to managing the ecosystem. Organic farmers are not wary of progress, and neither are they reluctant to use pesticides or other chemicals. Instead they do so according to the principles of organic agriculture, so any techniques they use are designed to be beneficial to the ecosystem, and any chemicals have a natural origin.
An important thing to understand is that the line between organic and non-organic agriculture is not sharply drawn. Crop rotation for example is long established farming practice, as are techniques such as contour ploughing in areas with soil erosion. As for fertiliser, there will be very few farming operations whose work does not include manure in some form, or who do not take advantage of nitrogen fixing crops. Pesticides such as the insecticide pyrethrum – originally derived from chrysanthemum root – or Bordeaux Mixture as a fungicide – a solution containing copper ions, so called because of its origin in French vineyards who applied lime solutions from copper containers – find uses where applicable in both organic and conventional agriculture. The important distinction lies in the organic farmers not going further than this, into synthetic amonium nitrate fertiliser for example, or glyphosate herbicide, which you might know as Roundup.
That’s the organic sales pitch, and it’s a compelling one. Now, we’ll go through the not so positive aspects, both of the movement and of the business.
Organic status is not simply conferred to produce by virtue of being organically grown. Instead it’s a legally protected designation, enforced through a system of certification performed by designated organisations. Where I grew up in the UK for example, organic certification is performed by the Soil Association. This is good because it preserves trust in organic status, but it suffers the flaw that it’s a profitable business for the certifier, and an expensive one for the producer. This in turn favours larger producers who can afford certification, and leaves the smaller producer unable to afford certification and thus unable to label their produce as organic. They can describe it as “Organically grown” of course, but they lose the cachet of the organic label. Since many small producers are by necessity organic, this affects a large number of producers if not a significant sector of the market.
Then there is the produce itself. Is it better than the non-organic stuff? Here we enter complex territory, because the answer differs depending upon the circumstances.
In terms of what advertising people like to call “goodness”, by which I mean nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and the like, in many cases it’s difficult to make a case for the organic product being superior to the non organic one. There will be exceptions such as apples, where a typical non-organic commercial dessert apple is overwatered to the point of diluting the beneficial properties it might have in search of the elusive “crunch”. But in the more ordinary case, that organic zucchini is unlikely to have more nutritional value than its non organic equivalent. It’s important to note that the organic product will lack any pesticide residues which may be present on its non organic equivalent, however it must be remembered that pesticide residue levels in food are subject to their own stringent regulation.
In terms of flavour, yet again it’s a mixed bag. An organic product grown in as intensive a manner as can be got away with under the rules, is not likely to taste better than the equivalent. It’s difficult even to pin down what in the husbandry governs the flavour of the finished product in a scientific sense, however as someone who grew up around organic production I’d offer the view that the longer something took to produce, the better its flavour is likely to be.
The Slow Food movement champions products made in this way, usually traditionally produced foods, heritage varieties, and foods with a particular terroir. If you’re looking for better tasting food then you may not find it with a supermarket organic label, but it’s quite likely that one of those small organic producers will have what you are looking for, simply because their methods are less intensive.
Finally, if you’re looking at the benefit to the environment, it’s likely that in most cases the organic product will impose less stress on the ecosystem and the wider environment than its non organic equivalent. If that’s your concern you should also look further than the means of production and into food miles; how far did the food in front of you travel to your plate? Here in Europe the strawberry is in season from around May to September, so does it make sense to fly them from the other side of the world in January, however nice they taste?
So now I hope you have more of an idea about organic food than you did at the start of this piece. You’ll know something about its benefits and problems, and you’ll know when it’s better than its non-organic equivalent. I hope you’ll find the food you like, and if you do, I hope it’s from a small producer, they need your business. Bon appetit!
Header: MichelM10, CC0.
These gardening apps are like having a mini master gardener in your phone. From helping you plan your ... Read More
The post From Seed to Screen: Top 12 Gardening Apps for Green Thumbs appeared first on Garden Therapy.
Login