Local, Seasonal and/or Organic Produce

January 29, 2012 – 9:54 pm

Happy New Year! 2011 was an eventful year, with earthquakes shaking across the pacific ocean, currency losing buying power, and immortal leaders dead. Many hope that 2012 will bring improvement, disregarding Emmerich’s prediction of California breaking away and three Friday the 13th spaced 13 weeks apart (2012 is a leap year).

As we strive for stability in this world, our health also demands stability. We want to make sure whatever we put into our mouths are sourced ethically and preserved wholesomely before delivered to our doorstep (okay, the local grocery store). We want to know the contents and source of our processed food. Recently, Tropicana was found to use oranges sourced from Brazil containing U.S.-banned fungicide carbandazim. There was a hurricane of comments online, urging Pepsi Co. to turn back to locally (Florida) produced oranges.

While locally grown produce may ensure quality control to a certain extent, awareness and caution should be exerted while buying local, seasonal, and organic produce.

Where to get local, seasonal and organic produce?

Local, Seasonal and Organic foods are largely available at your local farmer’s market. Some grocery stores sell store brand organic produce, and may have a “local” section. The CSA (Community Support Agriculture) is a great way to get relatively inexpensive local, seasonal and/or organic produce delivered right to your doorstep or available for pick up at a location near to you. Starting a community garden is also a great way to cultivate fresh herbs (JHU has our own herb garden behind the CSC, and has another community garden at Eastern Campus).

Why eat locally and seasonally?

The vegetables you bought from the big grocery store which you’re steaming for dinner probably traveled over a thousand miles to get to you. The average fresh produce item travels 1500 miles to get to its consumer. Besides reducing the number of miles your food travels, local and seasonally produce is generally more flavorful, as they are transported to consumers shortly after harvesting. By eating locally and seasonally, you are also helping to support local farmers.

Tips for buying

Besides (obviously) noting the appearance and aroma of the produce, there are also other things to consider while buying produce.

1. The source of produce

Where is the produce grown? How many kinds of produce are grown on the same land? How long is produce harvested before appearing in stores? At the farmer’s market, farmers are usually willing to answer those questions, especially if they own the farm and are proud of it. Farmers are also generally honest about the source of their produce. A farmer once told me that her garlics were from China while most of her other produce were locally farmed. That helps buyers make decisions.

**Side note: I tried the garlic from China, and it turned out to be much fresher than those from larger grocery stores… makes me wonder how old those garlic were…**

2. Know what your local and seasonal produce are

Did you know that strawberries are not grown all year long – not even in California. During the winter months, strawberries are imported, mainly from Mexico. It’s important to know what is seasonal in your region. For Maryland, a few helpful websites are:

http://localfoods.about.com/od/searchbyregion/a/marylandseasons.htm

http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/agripro.html

3. Learn what “organic” means

You may have already noticed that not all organic produce are created equal. What is the real “organic” stamp? Who is it approved by? What are the requirements for organic? You might find out that something that isn’t certified as “organic” might be even more wholesome than something that is certified as “organic”.

The USDA maintains a definition of “organic”. Based on the USDA website,  ”the USDA organic seal verifies that irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms were not used.” The full regulations are available here. Products that satisfy at least 95% of the requirements for “organic” are stamped with the following label:

Many produce can be grown ethically and healthily, even if they do not compile with USDA’s definition of “organic”. A farm may utilize the same methods as described as “organic”, but its products might not be at least 95% organic (a vague number to define). Consumers are encouraged to read what organic really means, and ask critical questions regarding the handling, growing, cropping etc of the produce marked as “organic”.

4. Ask if you can visit the farm

Some CSA farm owners biannually invite their members to visit the farms. If you purchase from a farmer regularly, you may also ask if you could visit the farm and volunteer for a day or two. You get to escape from your hectic schedule, plunge into nature, and witness with your own eyes how the squash and eggplant you love are grown.

Other notes

Lastly, many farmer’s markets in Baltimore, Maryland have summer and winter markets. Usually, local produce are only sold in summer markets, while farmers import produce from warmer states during the winter season. If you live in a tropical climate, your farmer’s market might offer local produce year-round.

Here’s a toast to a healthy new year!

A Bench is not A Bed – Reflections on NHHAW

November 28, 2011 – 9:55 pm

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, eight colleges and universities around the Baltimore City area gathered in front of the City Hall for the highlight of the week-long events they planned in conjunction with the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (NHHAW).

Johns Hopkins University is proud to be one of them.

Around 5.45pm, five CKJHU-ers drove down from Homewood campus to City Hall near Inner Harbor.

"A Bed is Not a Bench"

The Banner!

It got dark really quickly, so it was pitch black at 6pm. I couldn’t relocate my camera so I resorted using my phone’s mediocre 2MP phone. Surprised it still turned out okay (read==distinguishable).

First, dinner was served to participants, which consists of a roughly equal mix of college students, people experiencing homelessness, and advocates for homelessness (including lawyers, social workers, and people who had experience homelessness).

Dishing out hot meals to participants

I talked with someone who experiences a “different” kind of homelessness: he has a place to stay, but it is not constant, and it does not belong to him. He claims to travel around the state and country with his “father”. He always lingers around the City Hall area in the evening until he gets home… and happened to stumble upon the event.

Next, we had a series of speakers, including one of the main organizers, a lawyer who works with people experiencing homeless, and a lady who used to be a drug addict and experienced homelessness. The speaking styles ranged from extremely factual and statistical to personal and emotional.

Occupy Baltimore made a visit around 7pm. Some of the crowd got excited, and joined them for the march around the area.

Occupy Baltimore made an appearance at the event

Then, we were broken down into smaller discussion groups about issues that surround the themes of hunger and homelessness. Of course, Campus Kitchens @ Johns Hopkins University participated in the “Food Justice” discussion group, led by Heather Newman of the Franciscan Center, and an Americorp VISTA who also serves in the area of Food Justice.

The session ended at 9pm with readings of personal poems regarding experiences of homelessness. Some people stayed on for the sleepover, but the police intervened, possibly because of the visit by Occupy.

It was a good experience. I wished that NHHAW focused on the issues of “hunger” and “homelessness” equally, and not loopsided to just “homelessness” (their slogan “A Bench is Not a Bed” is almost exclusively homelessness). I also wonder if the police would have stopped the participants from sleeping out had Occupy not made a presence…

Some participants posing with their hand made signs specific to NHHAW

That’s it for now! Good luck to our readers for finals!

- Kat

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (NHHAW)

November 16, 2011 – 1:00 pm

November has crept in. Despite the (still) rainy & relatively warm Baltimore weather, it’s almost Thanksgiving season!

Thanksgiving in spirit is a day of gratitude. It is a day of recognizing that while we might not be the most fortunate, or able to find everything we seek, we can still feel grateful for what we have. It’s nice if we can go home and have a turkey dinner with our family – some of us who live far away cannot even do that. It’s nice if we can afford to enjoy a hearty meal during this holiday season – some of us struggle to bring food on the table.

It’s November. It’s Thanksgiving. But lesser known to many is that it’s also the National Hunger and Homelessness Week (NHHAW). Hunger and Homelessness are not issues unrelated to us (don’t just look at Africa, South America, and South East Asia). Each year, a whopping 3.5 million of people in the United States experience homelessness. In Baltimore City itself, 7% of the population do not have a roof to seek shelter under.

Yes, there certainly are people who are just too lazy to work for their own food and shelter. Nevertheless, approximately 15% of those who experience homelessness are victims of domestic violence. 25% have a diagnosable mental illness. 13% are veterans. There are many more facts and statistics, and those of you statistically oriented can verify the results with the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Health Care for the Homeless Coalition.

This week, Campus Kitchens is organizing a series of events to raise awareness on campus about NHHAW. What does it mean to be homeless? Why is the issue still present in the United States? What can we do to change the situation?

Calender of events:

11/16/2011 (WED) 6pm-8pm, Nolan’s at Charles Commons: Trivia Night. 10 gift cards to local eateries will be given out to trivia winners, and FREE homemade brownies for everyone who comes.

11/19/2011 (FRI) 7pm-7am on Sat, City Hall, Baltimore: A Bench is Not a Bed: Sleep Out. Come to this event to listen to a series of speakers talk about the issue of homelessness in Baltimore, Maryland, and the USA. Free transportation is provided every hour from 7pm to 7am between JHU (meet @ Barnes&Noble) and Inner Harbor. Free dinner (bagged sandwiches)  and breakfast will be provided.

Please come to these events, and tell your friends! The sleep out is SATURDAY NIGHT, and it will be a night to remember. And trust me, it will be a great resume builder, especially those interested in medical school!

I will be posting pictures, notes, and reflections on these events so STAY TUNED!

~Kat

The Community Garden!!

November 7, 2011 – 9:27 pm

Did you know that Johns Hopkins has a community garden? We do! And it’s right at Eastern Campus (around Waverly area), accessible by shuttles from Homewood campus.

Our community garden is currently actively looking for volunteers to prep for the spring planting! Absolutely no gardening experience needed – all you need is a pair of hands and a desire to be close to nature!

The volunteer times & dates are:

Saturdays, 1-4pm (Nov 5 and Nov 12)

Check us out and/or register to volunteer at

Garden Site

We hope to see you soon!

- Your friends at the JHU community garden, in partnership with CKJHU

Boot Camp 2011: The Central Kitchen

August 9, 2011 – 4:27 pm

Fourteen schools out of the twenty-nine (and growing!) Campus Kitchens attended Boot Camp 2011 in DC. Johns Hopkins University was one of them!

 

Students learned how to plan, resource, cook, and deliver meals – Campus Kitchen style. They also learned the intricacies and quirks about running such an enterprise, from food resourcing to asset managing to social media. They also volunteered in DC Central Kitchen, helping out with the preparation of over 5000 meals the Kitchen serves daily.

 

Operations Coordinator Andrew Lee (left) and other students volunteering at DC Central Kitchen

 

The Boot Camp participants also explored various ways to resource food… including maintaining a garden! DC Central Kitchen has its own moving truck garden. Imagine the educational possibilities all packed up in a truck!

 

Food Resourcing Coordinator Audrey (left) looking on while Joelle explains the concept of the movable garden

The camp was concluded with the ServSafe exam (required for ALL cooking shift leaders). Excited for a new school year!

 

Kat

Farm Fresh Cooking

June 9, 2011 – 3:07 pm

Last night at the Church of the Guardian Angel, CKJHU volunteers cooked up a delicious meal using the most fresh and local ingredients you can get, thanks to a generous donation of 5 CSA One Straw Farm shares from the JHU Office of Sustainability and produce from our very own Real Foods Campus Garden.

Last week I helped to harvest Sugar snap peas, carrot top greens, radishes and garlic scapes from our campus garden, and this week put this very local harvest to use.  We made a homemade pesto using carrot top greens and garlic for pasta which we served with broccoli from One Straw Farm. As a side we had sauteed sugar snap peas and a large salad of lettuce from one straw farm with radishes from our own garden.

Sugar snap peas

 

A very GREEN plate

And finally for the dessert, Margaret Xu, a regular CKJHU volunteer and LT member, made an amazing chocolate cake for Cece a regular diner at the Church of the Guardian angel, for her birthday!  We served the cake with delicious strawberries from One Straw Farm.

Professional quality cake made by Margaret Xu!

 

Now that harvest season is upon us, delicious meals like this will become the norm! If you want to help out at the weekly meal at the Church of the Guardian Angel, every Wednesday 4:30-7:00pm, e-mail ckjhu.volunteer@gmail.com to sign up!

~Amy

Chopping up FRESH ORGANIC produce once again

June 8, 2011 – 11:41 am

Yesterday at the Franciscan Center, CKJHU volunteers helped in chopping up the first delivery of produce from One Straw Farm donated by the JHU Center for a Livable Future! Crates of Kale Greens, Asparagus, strawberries and much more were brought in to the kitchen to eager volunteers ready to chop! These vegtables will be used this week in the center’s daily meal program, serving 400-500 people a day!

Standing with the Fresh produce straight off the truck

Have you ever seen a purple potato! Just one example of the amazing produce we receive!

Funky Garlic Scapes!

If you want to see what other AWESOME produce gets delivered and help chop it up for those in need, sign up for the Tuesday shift at the Franciscan Center, 5:30-7:00pm by e-mail ckjhu.volunteer@gmail.com

 

Happy eating,

~Amy



Summer is here and CKJHU is still cooking

June 1, 2011 – 1:08 pm

Summer has finally arrived  and CKJHU is heating up just like the weather!

Our new Summer volunteer schedule is posted on the Volunteer section of our website.

Many of our same shifts from the school year will continue, these evening shifts are a great for to stay involved with your community this summer.

In addition CKJHU will be leading several farm visits to glean fresh produce that we can bring to our community partners!!

To hear about all the weekly volunteer opportunities with CKJHU, e-mail ckjhu@campuskitchens.org

to signup for our summer listserve!

 

Hope to see you this summer,

Amy

 

Thanks for a great year!

May 10, 2011 – 10:08 am

The CKJHU academic year is coming to a close!  This year we have:

  • Served  5,237  meals!

  • Donated 7,093 lbs of food!

  • Recovered over 10,000 lbs of food!

  • Engaged 172 volunteers in 684 hours of service!

Special thanks to all of our community partners:

  • JHU Dining

  • Donnna’s

  • H &S Bakery

  • The Franciscan Center

  • B-Spirit

  • The Community School

  • My Sister’s Place

  • The Church of the Guardian Angel in Remington

  • Waverly Middle School

I also want to thank the following graduating LT members for their dedication to CK; you will be missed!

  • Lena Denis

  • Aliyah Sanders

  • Catherine Liow

  • Amy McDonough

  • Margaret Xu

CKJHU isn’t stopping operations this summer though, so stay tuned to see how you can be involved this summer!!

2011-2012 Leadership Team applications for CKJHU now available

March 31, 2011 – 10:59 am

Do you want to be a part of Campus Kitchens at JHU?

Now is the time to apply to be a part of the 2011-2012 leadership team.

 

 

Get a chance to work with a unique, student-run non-profit organization dedicated to using surplus food from dining halls,

local businesses, and farms to provide nutritious meals for hungry men, women, and children in our community.

At CKJHU there are positions available to suite any interest in food justice from where we source our food to the planning of healthy cooking classes. We are looking for passionate, dedicated students who want to work to reduce food waste and fight hunger and raise awareness about hunger and problems within our food system, all while having a  lot of fun!

 

 

Available positions include: Food Resourcing, event planning, cooking shift leaders, delivery shift leaders, and cooking class leaders and many more!

Full descriptions and application for all positions are avaiable in the Join the Movement section our our website!

Applications are due April 18th to abachma2@jhu.edu

~Amy