Radical Domestic Imperfection - by Shannon Hayes
Shannon describes her life as one of Radical Domestic Imperfection. Her light touch made my day, so I'm sharing it with you.
Land of Milk and Honey
'Land of milk and honey' means a lucky land, a land of plenty, and you can see why.
Truth in Labeling
Experience is a fine teacher. But you also need to know wider facts about the world - facts beyond the grasp of your own eyes, your own hands.
Raw Deal on Camembert - by Rob Kaufelt
Today's lament against this sly attack on traditional foods comes from cheesemonger Rob Kaufelt.
Leaves, Yes; Eat Meat, Too
Pollan also recommends, 'Eat mostly plants.' 'Mostly' is a tricky word here.
Steak not Statins
On the demise of a new superdrug that was meant to raise HDL, the New York Times was blunt: Wall Street and Big Pharma stocks may have winced, but 'An effective HDL booster already exists. It is niacin, the ordinary B vitamin.'
Real Food for Nursing Mothers
I believe the advice many well-informed, health-conscious women have absorbed is out of date and risky.
Sleeping With Baby
Fortunately, several studies have addressed the risks and benefit of bedsharing and other arrangements in which mothers (or other caregivers) sleep with babies.
Elective Cesareans: Thumbs Down
JULIAN CHARLES PLANCK was born on October 24. He is healthy and handsome (to me) and I'm feeling well, too. It was a long labor with several surprises - he was born by Cesarean section - which I'll tell you about soon.
All About My Mother
David Kamp, author of The United States of Arugula, was gallant enough to say this about my mother on September 21, 2006.
Protein and Pregnancy
The New Yorker (July 24, 2006) a piece called 'The Preeclampsia Puzzle' neglected to mention a simple cause of the potentially fatal condition that affects 5% of pregnant women: poor nutrition.
Babies Deserve Better
We know breast milk is best. We also know that formula could be much, much better.
Asparagus Myths
This time of year I eat asparagus as often as possible, sometimes every day. But along with one of my favorite dishes - asparagus with butter, with a poached egg, with shavings of a salty hard cheese, like pecorino - I have to read a lot of nonsense about this delicate spring vegetable.
Lard Almighty
In the June 5 New York Magazine, Rob Patronite asked me how I use the lard that's always in my fridge. (Lard is very stable, unlike polyunsaturated oils, so it keeps well.)
The Omnivore's Dilemma
Pollan has no practical experience (to my knowledge) with food, farming, or chemistry, which makes his mastery of those topics all the more stunning. In The Omnivore's Dilemma he weaves these complex subjects together elegantly and without breaking a sweat.
Healthy Soil & Healthy Babies
What do organic farming and 'natural' childbirth have in common? Both are making a comeback after food and childbirth have been thoroughly industrialized by obstetricians and big agribusiness.
Abolish the CSA
Abolish the what? In the local food world, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It's a brilliant idea but the name does it no favors.
The Reading List
After my book was safely at the printer, I took a break from food and farming reading.