Perfecting Your Pantry – 10 Things to Always Have on Hand
Check to see if you have these must haves in your pantry (photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com)
One of the best ways that families can stretch their food dollar is to cook their meals at home using fresh, locally grown Arizona ingredients. But we all have very busy lives and it isn’t always possible to stay on top of the grocery shopping or remember everything you have in your pantry at home during a quick stop at the farmer’s market or grocery store. After a hectic day, most people would toss in the towel and order in rather than cook at home. While this is totally understandable, one unplanned meal out can easily bust your food budget for the whole month. There is another option that takes a little planning and preparation but ensures you will always have something at home that you can whip up into a quick, healthy, low-cost breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a well-stocked pantry.
Here is a list of the 10 things you should always have in your pantry. These staples enable you to make a variety of healthy meals with just the ingredients listed here. They also give you the peace of mind of knowing what you have at home so that a quick stop at the local market really is quick.
1. Oil
Oil is an essential ingredient to many meals and having a few different kinds on hand enables you to cook many different kinds of food. Whether you are marinating meat, sautéing vegetables, or baking goodies, it is likely you will need some kind of oil. A well-stocked pantry should have olive oil, vegetable oil, and sesame oil. A great place to find locally grown and produced olive oil is the Queen Creek Olive Mill.
2. Sugar and Spice
These cooking basics are essential to a well-stocked pantry. Stock your shelves with standard granulated sugar, brown sugar, and confectioner’s/powdered sugar and you will be able to meet every need for sweet that comes along. To spice things up, every pantry should have the following spices at a minimum:
These two staples can create the foundation for a meal made with almost anything else. There are so many options available when it comes to pasta that it really comes down to what your family likes. Choosing several different varieties ensures you will always have just the right pasta on hand to create a quick and easy meal for your family. Consider including spaghetti noodles, shells, rotini, and one other variety. The same is true for rice, you have many options to choose from and the most important thing is to choose the kinds your family likes.
4. Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds make a great healthy snack while also enhancing and enlivening salads, baked goods, and other recipes. For your pantry, a good mix of nuts and seeds includes sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and pecans.
5. Oats and Flour
When it comes to staples, these are two you are likely to find in every well-stocked pantry. Choose a variety of flours that includes unbleached white, whole wheat, and bread or cake flour and you can rest assured that no matter what kind of flour a recipe calls for, you will have what you need. You should include two kinds of oats in your pantry, the traditional old-fashioned kind and the quick cook kind, for maximum versatility. Oats make great thickeners in meatloaf and baked goods and can also be used for breading meats and making healthy snacks like granola.
6. Canned Fish (Salmon, Tuna)
These shelf-stable meats can be great in a pinch and are perfect for tossing with a salad or creating a sandwich. Keeping a couple cans of each in your pantry gives you another protein option that is precooked and ready to go right out of the can.
7. Broths and Stocks
Stocking pre-made chicken and beef stock gives you a lot of options in the kitchen. You can use them as the foundation for soup, to create a sauce, to add moisture to a dish, and as a replacement for oil and butter in some circumstances.
8. Vinegars and Sauces
Vinegar is one of the most versatile liquids in your kitchen that is often overlooked in our modern day meal planning. Keep a bottle of white, cider, and balsamic vinegar in the pantry along with a bottle of soy sauce, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
9. Dry and Canned Beans
When it comes to versatility and multiple uses, nothing can beat the bean. Packed with fiber and protein, beans can add texture, flavor, and volume to almost any recipe. Pick a wide variety of beans for your pantry including black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, split peas, chick peas, and navy beans.
When you are short on time and short on energy, canned vegetables can be just what you need to complete a quick and easy meal with little effort. Stock up on cans of your family’s favorites and use them to supplement your meals when you don’t have time to run to the farmer’s market for something fresh. Make sure you include the most versatile of canned vegetables, tomatoes and tomato sauce.
On your visits to the Arizona Farmers Markets, look for the staples listed above, including locally grown herbs. Stocking up on staples and creating the perfect pantry for your family is a great way to stretch your food dollar while filling your plate.
What’s your favorite beet recipe? Image via Wikipedia
Long relegated to ethnic dishes and often categorized as that strange thing your Grandma tried to make you eat at Sunday dinner, the beet made a comeback in 2011 and popped up on menus across the country. While most food experts agree that the beet’s time in the spotlight has passed, it would seem the beet isn’t quite ready to let go of the limelight. The beet may be last year’s news, but its juice is still taking center stage.
Known for its rich red color, beetroot and beets have been around since pre-historic times, growing wild in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Although originally only eaten for their greens, the root of the beet can be eaten as well or used to create beet juice. Beets come in several varieties including red/purple, white, and rainbow colored. Whether eaten or used in juice, beets provide a bounty of nutrition which is one of the reasons beet juice is being touted as the health drink of the moment.
When it comes to nutritional value offered and health benefits provided, there aren’t many veggies that can compare. One serving of beet products contributes the following toward your recommended daily allowance for only 58 calories:
Folate – 37%
Manganese – 22.5%
Fiber – 15.2%
Potassium – 12.6%
Vitamin C – 11.1%
Magnesium – 7.8%
Iron – 6%
Additionally, beet juice is a great source of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that is very beneficial. Research into the benefits of beetroot juice conducted at Barts and the London School of Medicine has shown that even a small amount each day can reduce blood pressure. These findings also indicate that beet consumption may help prevent cardiovascular disease.
Other research completed at Wake Forest University shows that beet juice can boost blood flow to specific parts of the brain. This finding is significant because it opens the door to potential treatment options that may slow the progression of dementia and other cognitive dysfunctions associated with the degeneration of that area of the brain.
Here in Arizona, fresh locally grown beets are easy to come by and offer many options for filling your plate while boosting your health. Here are some of our favorite beet recipes.
If you want to get the benefits of beets every single day, just make your own beet juice. Here are some ideas for making great tasting and heath boosting beet juice.
Whether you prefer them sweet or sour, cherries are a flavorful way to get in a serving or two of your daily fruit and vegetable requirement. Although cherries aren’t widely grown here in Arizona, some of the sweet varieties do well with our mild weathers and dry climate. This month is National Cherry Month, so let’s celebrate the great flavor and many uses of this wonderful fruit. Here are fun facts, a bit of history, and some great recipes featuring cherries.
Fun Facts
It takes about 250 cherries to make a cherry pie.
Cherries are cousins to some other Arizona fruits like nectarines, apricots, and plums.
If you cataloged all the different types of cherries from all over the world, you would find more than 1,000 varieties.
The two most popular kinds of sweet cherries, Bings and Lamberts, are grown in North America.
Cherries are low in calories and are a good source of soluble fiber. They are also a good source of antioxidants, vitamin C, beta carotene, and potassium.
In traditional medicine, healers used cherries for a variety of medicinal purposes including the treatment of gout. Some alternative medical practitioners continue to use cherries today because of they contain cyanidin which can reduce inflammation and for pain relief.
Each year more than 300 million pounds of cherries are harvested in the U.S.
Although there are more than 1,000 varieties of cherry, the ones most commonly grown commercially are the Bing, Rainier, Royal Ann, Montmorency, Morello, and Early Richmond.
Cherry trees are known for more than just producing delicious fruit; they are also known for the beautiful blossoms that fill their branches in late spring.
Cherries are enjoyed around the world and are used in a variety of ways including as filling for pies, the final touch on an ice cream sundae, to flavor tea, to add color and flavor to salad, and to make liqueur and brandy.
The History of Cherries
Cherries, like many of their cousins in the stone fruit family, have been around since ancient times and cherry pits have been found amongst other artifacts in caves from the Stone Age.
They are mentioned as far back as 300 BC by one of Aristotle’s protégés, Theophrastus, in his work the “History of Plants”.
Wild cherries are native to Europe, western Asia, and some areas of North Africa.
Cherries were often used for their healing properties and their sweet flavor made them a popular treat among rich merchants and royalty.
Celebrate women farmers on National Women in Blue Jeans Day
If your only exposure to American culture was television or the movies, you would likely have a skewed view of American women. It would be easy to think that most of them spend their days climbing the corporate ladder clad in the latest Gucci suit and $500 shoes and that those who aren’t doing that, wish they were. But contrary to this stereotype, not every American woman aspires to live like the women on Sex in the City, collect designer clothes, or sip Cosmos over sushi. The founders of Women in Blue Jeans, a group committed to celebrating the women of rural America and providing them with educational and networking opportunities, know that some women prefer a life where blue jeans and work boots are always the appropriate attire.
Arizona farmers love talking about denim and blue jeans since we grow some of the best cotton in the nation. Arizona farmers annually contribute this cool, comfortable fiber to our constant demand for blue jeans.
This January 19th is Women in Blue Jeans Day, a time to celebrate all the women who grow the food we eat, tend the animals we need for dairy, eggs, and wool, and those who choose to live a different kind of life far from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is a day to acknowledge the role rural women play in keeping America running from the barn and the field rather than from the board room.
According to the American Agri-Women, a national coalition of organizations focused on women in agriculture, there are more than 2 million family run farms in America. These farms produce 86% of the food and fiber made in the USA and are the reason families across the country spend only 10% of their income on food, the lowest in the world. These farms produce more than just food and fiber; they also produce the necessary materials for many other things including medical supplies, cosmetics, crayons, x-ray film, ink, and toothpaste. American agriculture only continues to grow in importance both in terms of access to safe, healthy food and from an economic perspective as shown by these facts from American Agri-Women:
In 1940, each American farmer provided enough food and fiber for 19 others; today’s farmers provide food and fiber for 144 other people.
The agriculture industry accounts for 20% of the American workforce and 20% of the national GDP.
Agriculture and farms employ more than 20 million people and agriculture products are the country’s number 1 export.
Women in Agriculture
The most recent Census of Agriculture indicates that more women are working in agriculture than in previous years. The census showed increases in the number of women operating farms, the number of acres women are farming, and the value of the products women are producing over the previous report. More than 30% of the 3.3 million farm operators in the U.S. are women and in 2007 14% of American farms were run by women. Information from the last two censuses show that women continue to play a central role in the farming and ranching industry:
More and more women are choosing to operate farms. Between 1997 and 2002, the number of women farmers increased by 13.4%. This number increased again between 2002 and 2007 by 19%.
Although farms run by men on average are more than twice the size of those run by women, more than 85% of farms owned by women are owned outright compared to 66% of those operated by men.
The types of farms operated by women are generally more diverse than those run by men. Farms run by women are more likely to be classified as other animals and other crops and women outpace men in poultry, egg, and sheep/goat farms.
The percentage of farms with female principals is highest in the Southwest and New England. The part of the country typically considered the bread basket of the U.S. has the lowest percentage of women acting as principal operators.
Arizona has the highest percentage of female principal farm operators at 38.5% followed by New Hampshire (29.7 %), Maine (25.1%), and Alaska (24.5%).
The American Farm Bureau’s National Women’s Leadership Committee addresses the increased role of women in American agriculture. They know that as the number of women increases as the principal operators on farms and ranches, so will the leadership role of women in agriculture. So, they are providing tools and resources to train and equip these women farmers with leadership skills as they take on more responsibilities.
Here in Arizona, where women farmers are prevalent, the Arizona Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee exists to develop women’s individual talents as leaders through involvement in a variety of programs on the local level. These programs are directed toward leadership development, political influence, and promotion of Arizona Agriculture through education in the classroom and in the community.
This January 19th, take a moment to thank a woman farmer or rancher you know for tending the land, caring for the animals, and keeping food on your table. Connect with Arizona women farmers and ranchers on Fill Your Plate (https://fillyourplate.org/) and the Friends of the Arizona Farm Bureau’s Facebook page. (http://www.facebook.com/ArizonaFarmBureau?ref=ts)
Whether you pop it in your microwave, buy it at the movie theatre, or use it to decorate your Christmas tree, America loves popcorn. To help celebrate National Popcorn Day on January 19th, here is everything you ever wanted to know about popcorn.
History
Although there are many references to corn mentioned throughout the historical record, the corn of Egypt and the corn of England were not the same thing. Corn was originally a term used for the most common grain in a specific place. Egyptian corn was likely barley, English corn was likely wheat, Irish corn was actually oats, and American corn was maize – which is what we consider corn today.
From the start, wild corn was primarily used for popping and popped corn was prominent in early Indian cultures.
Corn was popped by our ancient ancestors by using a fire to heat sand and then stirring the kernels in the sand until they reached the temperature necessary to pop.
Throughout early Central American cultures, popcorn was used for nutrition, decoration, and ceremony.
The introduction of the plow used for cultivating corn in the mid-1800’s led to the widespread introduction of corn as a farm crop.
The first mobile popcorn machine was introduced at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The inventor, Charles Cretors, designed the 500 pound machine so that it could be transported to locations where there was business like picnics and parks instead of trying to get business to come to a shop.
Popcorn was popular through the Great Depression when it was still inexpensive enough to be a luxury many people could still afford.
Popcorn sales soared during World War II as the lack of sugar made candy unavailable for most Americans who turned to popcorn to soothe their snack cravings. This increased consumption threefold.
Popcorn’s tight relationship with movie theatres caused a big dip in sales with the introduction of the television. That persisted until microwave popcorn came along and brought people and popcorn back together.
Fun Facts
On average, each American eats 68 quarts of popcorn a year which equates to more than 17 billion quarts annually.
Popcorn was a key factor in the development of microwave technology.
Most bags of popcorn will contain one white kernel for every 9 yellow kernels.
A kernel of popcorn can pop as high as 3 feet in the air.
Kernels that don’t pop are called “old maids”.
In 2009, the world’s largest popcorn ball was constructed in Sac City, Iowa. It was 8 feet tall and weighed 5,000 pounds.
It would take more than 350 million pieces of popcorn laid end to end to go from New York City to Los Angeles.
The oldest popcorn ears on record, from around 2000 B.C.E., were found in a cave in Mexico in 1948.
Nutrition
Popcorn is a whole grain and much healthier than many other snack foods. One cup of air-popped popcorn contains 31 calories and three cups provides one serving of whole grains.
Popcorn is high in fiber, sugar-free, contains no salt, and very little fat.
What is your favorite way to eat a tomato? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tomatoes may be the most complex vegetable in our refrigerator. For starters, they aren’t really a vegetable at all, at least botanically. But as members of the nightshade family, they are considered vegetables for cooking purposes and in the eyes of the law. Next, there is the love/hate relationship many people have for them. Some people love them; some people hate them, but even those who hate them often like them in other things like tomato sauce, ketchup, and salsa.
Here in Arizona, December is the best time to start your tomato seedlings indoors in order to ensure they are ready for planting in February. To get you in the mood for planting or simply to inspire you to pick some up with your next grocery purchase, here are some fun facts, health benefits, and recipes that will tempt even the most ardent anti-tomato palette. And in case you aren’t up for growing your own, we included some local sources where you can purchase them.
Little Known Facts
Originating in South America, tomatoes were introduced to the rest of the world by the Spanish explorers returning from the New World. They get their name from the Aztec word “xitomatl” which means “plump thing with a navel” and are perennial plants when grown in their native habitat.
Once you learn that botanically, tomatoes are fruits, it is easier to understand why the French originally called them the “apple of love” and why their scientific namelycopersicon lycopersicum means “wolf peach.”
Although tomatoes are the most common plant grown in U.S. gardens, China is actually the largest producer and provides more than a quarter of the tomatoes grown in the world.
Although there are more than 7,000 varieties of tomato, the most common categories are beefsteak, plum, cherry, and grape.
Health Benefits
Tomatoes are high in antioxidants, specifically lycopene, which aid in protecting against cell damage, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. A 3.5 oz red tomato only contains about 18 calories but it also provides dietary fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, and E, and potassium.
At different points in history, tomatoes where thought to be poisonous but this was likely a result of people ingesting the vines, leaves, and stems of the plant which contain atropine and tomatine, both of which are harmful to humans and dogs.
Looking for local Arizona farmers that provide fresh local tomatoes? Go to Fill Your Plate’s homepage, click on “Find a Farm Product,” and select “tomatoes” from the list to get a list of local farms that offer tomatoes. To find a farmer’s market near you that is open for the winter, check out this recent post on Winter Farmer’s Markets.
My American Farm Games: Farm Fun and Learning Wrapped into One
My American Farm is a cooperative project that aims to increase agricultural knowledge by using interactive, educational computer games. Most of the current games are aimed at students in the 3rd thru 5th grades, but recent additions have introduced new games perfect for students in K-2.
If you are looking for a fun way to mix science, math, and reading with fun facts about the farm, check out the My American Farm games listed below.
This game helps players learn about geography by asking them to pick a state with a specific attribute, like a state with a desert and then providing them with a fun fact about the agriculture in that state. Fun facts include things like the number of farms in the selected state and the top three products the state produces. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
The objective of this game is to learn about the different types of grains grown on farms while also practicing math skills. Players race against the clock to answer word problems using information about the different grains to formulate the questions. Answering questions right gets players a fun fact about the grains. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
Helps kids learn about the different kinds of equipment used to work the land and for farming activities. By looking through the equipment shed for specific pieces needed to assemble the right equipment to complete a specific job, players complete challenges and earn points. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
This game offers a fun version of true or false. Each round contains statements about food, fiber, or fuel and players help Justin Justthefacts by deciding if the statement is a fact or a fairytale. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
Similar to Amazing Grains, this game uses math word problems to help players learn about farmer’s markets. Players race against the clock to answer word problems using information about the different grains to formulate the questions. Answering questions correctly gets players a fun fact about the grains. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
This game helps reinforce the different food groups by having players find enough of the right kind of foods before time runs out. Finding 4 foods in each of the 6 food groups without running out of time gets players another reward to put in their sustainability passport. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
Players complete math problems so that they know how many farm products to load into the various transport vehicles. This is a fun game that reinforces math skills and teaches players about how food is transported from the farm on its way to their table. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
In this game, players complete tangrams to learn more about how farmers and ranchers are stewards of the land. Interesting tips on things like crop rotation are given as awards for completing each puzzle. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
By combining recipes with a word search, this game helps build language arts skills while teaching players how many different things it takes to make some of their favorite recipes like apple pie and apple sauce. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
Just like the memory card played with face-down cards, this matching game requires players to match the picture of an animal or crop with the card showing its name. Each name card provides a button to have the card read aloud which makes this game suitable for players who are still learning to read. Good for grades K-2 with a playing time under 10 minutes.
This game helps players learn about the different careers involved in farming and ranching. Players can select from a variety of careers and learn about what people in that career are interested in, what tools they use, and who they work with by answering questions about that job. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time of 10-15 minutes.
Spin the wheel and try to solve the puzzle in this fun game that mixes language arts and science skills to help players learn about farms and ranches. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time of 10-15 minutes.
This game enhances science skills by having players determine the lifecycle of a plant by putting images of that plant in the right order from seed to harvest. Correct lifecycles offer an educational tip about that plant or farm product. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time of under 10 minutes.
Using clues and images, players figure out which country is the right answer and then select that country on a map of the world. This game helps reinforce geography knowledge while teaching players about agriculture around the world. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time of 10-15 minutes.
This game has players answer questions about water and water conservation to move their piece on the game board. Get enough questions right and they win the game. Mixes reading and science skills while teaching about water as an agricultural resource. Good for grades 3-5 with a playing time of 10-15 minutes.
If you’d like to have Ag in your child’s classroom, be sure to check out Arizona Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program.
My American Farm is provided by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture with the support of Pioneer Hi-Bred. For access to the free resources on the My American Farm site including the games listed here, family activities, and other educational resources, visit www.myamericanfarm.org.
Producing a bounty of U.S.-grown food to sell and share beyond our borders remains a matter of deep pride to America’s farmers and ranchers. A growing body of evidence suggests, however, that Americans who do not farm or ranch really don’t give a rip that America’s farmers and ranchers are striving to feed the world.
In this age of engagement-based communication, it is vital that each precious minute farmers and ranchers have to connect with other American eaters is appealing and meaningful. Frankly, farmers talking about American agriculture’s ability to feed the world no longer fits that category.
The first challenge to the wisdom of feed-the-world talk came last year from the Center for Food Integrity. Influential consumers were asked to rank 17 specific issues related to our nation and food. The item ranking last in importance, by far, was the United States having enough food to feed people in developing countries.
While that result cracks open a door of skepticism, it does not stand alone. Work by the Illinois Farm Families coalition found that of a list of 10 compelling facts about farmers, facts related to productivity and feeding the world ranked near the bottom in terms of making people feel more positive about farmers.
There is additional evidence that chatter about feeding the world is simply not what consumers want to hear. To make matters worse, hard-core food activists like to hold up the feed-the-world message to ridicule today’s agriculture as disconnected.
The time has come forfarmers and ranchers to reframe their conversations with consumers. Keep it real. There must be a focus on issues vital to consumers, such as their desire to choose nutritious, safe food produced in a responsible manner.
There is no doubt; we are facing an urgent new reality related to how farmers engage with eaters. What makes it so hard to swallow is the knowledge that many farmers and ranchers consider it their professional, moral obligation to produce food for all people who need it. In fact, it borders on a divine mission.
Because farmers and ranchers grow up, raise their families and live where they work, each and every day, perhaps no other profession holds the same kind of enduring and unbreakable bond between professional duty and personal identity as does farming. In that environment, discovering that a belief you treasure rings hollow to those you are dedicated to serving, cuts like a two-edged sword. But the bottom line is, when it comes to communicating with consumers, personal feelings cannot be allowed to stand in the way of having an impact.
Another reason it is so hard to accept the urgent need to change the conversation is that the U.S. really is helping feed the world. We exported a heck of a lot more food and fiber than we imported in 2010, resulting in a positive agricultural trade balance of nearly $34 billion.
While that fact is worthy of pride, beyond the farm gate it is likely to resonate with less appeal than an empty lunchbox. Consumers hunger for real, compelling dialogue with farmers about how they are working conscientiously to produce high-quality food. Give them what they crave.
Modern-Day Farms: “A Billion Acts of Green” (fillyourplate.org)
It’s Time Agriculture Takes Back ‘Sustainable’
Editor’s Note: A while back we ran this editorial from rancher, Troy Hadrick, in our Choices publication. He’s active in American Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer & Rancher program. He loves American agriculture and has a passion for spreading the truth about today’s modern and efficient agriculture industry. Because the word “sustainable” gets overused, we felt it would be valuable to run Troy’s editorial again on our blogs reminding readers of who the original sustainers of the land truly are.
By Troy Hadrick, South Dakota Rancher
It’s hard to get through the day anymore without hearing the word “sustainable.” In fact, I was recently asked if I was a factory farmer or if I raised cattle sustainably. Who judges what’s sustainable and what isn’t? It seems that the word has been hijacked and is being used by people who are opposed to modern agriculture.
Sometimes you just have to shake your head when you hear the term. When I hear about sustainable wood, it always puzzles me. It’s a renewable resource.
But in food production, we hear more and more that modern agriculture can’t continue down the same path it’s currently on. What exactly led to that false notion, and how would anyone possess the kind of knowledge needed to back up that sweeping statement?
Skeptics say we should go back to how we used to raise crops and livestock. But how far back should we go? To the 1950s? Or how about the 1870s? Maybe we could go back to when everyone raised just their own food?
Broadly, it is frequently true that so-called sustainable practices are those techniques used before the combustion engine was invented. Every industry has adapted and used technology to improve production methods and output. That includes agriculture.
From a farmer’s perspective, there are two questions that should have to be answered before any agricultural practice can truly be considered sustainable. First, will the farm and ranch families implementing the practice be able to generate enough income to continue farming or ranching? Will those families be sustainable? And second, will the practice help producers increase food production to keep up with a growing population? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then, from my perspective, it should not be considered sustainable.
If farmers and ranchers can’t make a living, they obviously won’t be around very long. That’s not what I would call a sustainable practice. Or if America’s farmers and ranchers are forced to use production methods that do not yield enough food for everyone would you consider that sustainable? I wouldn’t.
At the end of the day, agriculture has a single, yet vital, responsibility ─ to provide food, fiber, fuel and other basics of life for an ever-growing world. The agriculture industry that some folks like to envision is better described as nostalgic rather than sustainable or even realistic. Our society wouldn’t have developed into what it is today if 25 percent or more of our workforce was still required to grow food. For the past century, we have continually produced more food with less farm inputs. With the technologies available today, that trend will continue.
American agriculturehas a longer track record than any other industry in this country. Many families are producing food on the same land their ancestors did. In Arizona, you have third, fourth and fifth generation farming and ranch families. One couple I know, ─ Andy and Stefanie Smallhouse ─ are 5th-generation ranchers farming and ranching the same land that’s been in the family for the past 125 years. That’s proof of sustainability.
Farmers and ranchers know a thing or two about being sustainable since our livelihood depends on it. Ask Andy and Stefanie Smallhouse.
The asparagus plant was originally part of the lily family, the Liliaceae, like onions and leeks but was recently moved to the Asparagales classification.
2. It’s All Greek to Me
Asparagus, whose name comes from asparagos, the Greek word for shoot, has been used since ancient times. Thought to cure everything from heart problems to toothaches, early records from Greece and Rome outline its many medicinal uses.
3. Grows like a Weed
Grown from a crown planted in sandy soil, asparagus spears can grow as much as 10” in 24 hours. Spears are sent up from the crown in late spring and early summer and can be harvested for about 6-8 weeks. Toward the end of the picking season, spears may require daily harvesting to keep up with growth.
4. Perennial and Pretty
Once the picking season ends in mid-summer, the spears change over to ferns that produce red berries for the remainder of the season. This allows the crown to gather the nutrients required to support the initial growth next season. With proper care and conditions, an asparagus plant can produce a harvestable crop for 15-20 years.
5. In this Case, Bigger is Better
Diameter is a key indicator of quality. When choosing spears, you should select those with the largest diameter and the most vibrant color (the greenest if it is green asparagus and the whitest, if it is white).
Asparagus is a nutritional powerhouse that provides a big bang for the buck. Loaded with folic acid, potassium, vitamins A, C and B6, rutin, thiamin and fiber with no fat or cholesterol and very little sodium, the vegetable is only 20 calories for 5 ounces.
7. USA favorite
Even though the U.S. consumes more than 4 times as much asparagus as other countries, Peru is the leading asparagus exporter followed by Mexico and Canada. In the U.S., the majority of the asparagus is grown in California with Michigan and Washington lagging behind.
8. The Life Cycle of Asparagus
Beginning as a small black seed, Asparagus develops into long tube like roots and called a crown. Developed crowns, which take more than a year to establish, will send up spears in the second or third year of growth that can be harvested over a 6-8 week period. Once the picking season ends, the spears transition to a fern for the remainder of the summer gathering resources for next year.
9. Variety
There are more than 50 different types of asparagus to choose from including Mary and Martha Washington varieties and the three most popular colors; green, white and purple.
10. Bugs
The asparagus has two natural predators besides people. The first, is asparagus beetles, which eat the plant down to the roots. The second is asparagus rust, a fungus that grows on the spears.
It’s summertime. Well, almost. So below are my top 10 Arizona vegetables for summer. I’m going to make sure I either purchase at a local farmer’s market or grocery store. And, they’ll be in-season so they’ll be more reasonable in price.
1. Corn is one of the most popular vegetables, yellow sweet corn is a source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Like most vegetables, it is also low in fat and contains no cholesterol. White corn is a little lower in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Sweet corn is very rich in vitamin B1, vitamin B5, vitamin C, phosphorus, manganese, folate and dietary fiber.
2. Cucumbers taste refreshing perhaps because most of the weight of a cucumber comes from water. While they’re not considered a nutrient dense vegetable, they contain calcium, potassium and vitamins A and K. The cucumber is also a source of slow-release energy and a powerful tool in your weight-loss program. An 85 gram serving of cucumber, about ¾ of a cup, has a mere 11 calories. It has virtually no fat, cholesterol or sodium. It has 2 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of sugar. Dieters can find much to love in the lean caloric profile of cucumber as few foods have fewer calories than the cucumber.
A favorite way to eat cucumbers in the summer is to slice them thin and put in a jar with white vinegar, slices of white onion and a little bit of salt and pepper. Then chill. They’re a great snack throughout the hot days of summer.
3. Summer squash continues to gain popularity in home gardens and urban farms because it is easy to grow and comes in a wide variety of intriguing shapes, colors and sizes. It has a mild flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Its versatility in the kitchen includes use in salads, soups, casseroles, stuffing, breads, muffins, coleslaw or sauces. Dried herbs such as rosemary or basil help bring out the delicate flavor. One serving or ½ cup of raw summer squash provides 10 calories with zero calories from fat.
Of the nutrients listed on nutrition labels, where Percent Daily Values is based on a 2,000 calorie diet, the Percent Daily Value for total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium are all zero. One-half cup of squash provides 2 grams or 1% of the Daily Value for total carbohydrate and 1 gram or 2% of the Total Daily Value for dietary fiber. In addition, a serving of squash provides 15% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, according to the USDA.
4. Sweet Onions are a favorite of my dad. He nearly eats one raw sweet onion a day. And for good reason, , of all the healthy benefits of onions, two elements stand out: sulfur (a compound) and quercetin (a flavonoid). They each have been shown to help neutralize the free radicals in the body, and protect the membranes of the body’s cells from damage.
Quercetin, an antioxidant, is also found in red wine and tea, but in much lower quantities. Most health professionals recommend eating raw onions for maximum benefit, but cooking makes them more versatile and doesn’t significantly reduce their potency. In fact, unlike sulfur compounds, quercetin can withstand the heat of cooking.
Regarding your heart, as with garlic, onions help prevent thrombosis and reduce hypertension, according to the American Heart Association. The juice of one yellow or white onion a day can raise HDL cholesterol (the good stuff) by 30% over time, according to Dr. Victor Gurewich, director of the Tufts University Vascular Laboratory at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston.
5. Tomatoes contain a variety of vitamins (A, C, B1, and B2), and carotene, protein, carbohydrate, and dietary fiber. Tomatoes also contain calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, boron and iodine and other minerals and trace elements. What I love about tomatoes is the variety of ways we can eat them: raw, cooked, sauces, and whatever creative way you come up with! What’s your favorite way to eat a tomato?
6. Zucchini is also a summer squash and is versatile enough to single out. It can be used in pasta sauce, added it to a stir-fry or baked into sweet loaves of quick bread. You should eat zucchini with the rind attached whenever possible, since the rind contains much of the nutritional value. Because zucchini also has a high water content, it’s very low in calories. One medium (196 grams) raw zucchini with its skin on contains just 31 calories. That same zucchini contains 0 grams of fat and 0 mg of cholesterol. If you’re trying to cut down on calories, fat or cholesterol, zucchini is an excellent choice. One raw medium zucchini, including its skin, boasts 56% of your daily recommended value of vitamin C. It also delivers 11% of your daily value of vitamin K, 16% of riboflavin, 21% of vitamin B-6 and 14% of folate. Other vitamins present in lesser quantities include vitamin A, vitamin E, thiamin, niacin and pantothenic acid.
7. Green beans make me think of Grandma snapping off the ends of fresh green beans. Snap! Green beans, while quite low in calories, are loaded with nutrients and an excellent source of vitamin K, C, and A. The Vitamin K provided in green beans (a spectacular 122% of the recommended daily allowance in one cup) is important for maintaining strong bones.
8. Okra reminds me of my mother. I’ll eat okra in just about any form and one of my favorites was when mom would powder diced okra with cornmeal and fry it up. Okra is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of protein, niacin, Iron, phosphorus, zinc and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Okra contains known anti-inflammatory nutrients, including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Beta Carotene.
9. Radishes don’t get much respect but they’re refreshing vegetable chilled and eaten as an appetizer. For the dieter, radishes contain high amounts of water and fiber and low levels of sodium and carbs. In addition, 1 cup of radishes has only 20 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrates. A 1-cup serving also provides almost as much potassium (270 mg) as you would find in a banana. Riboflavin, calcium, magnesium and folate help to round out the exceptional nutrition packed into a radish. Add some to a salad or eat them as a snack, and think about the health benefits you are providing your body.
10. Chiles are one of my loves perhaps because I love hot food. Right off the bat, you know you’re going to get your vitamin C if you eat chilies. Chili peppers, despite their fiery “hotness” are one of very popular spices known for medicinal and health benefiting properties. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body protect from scurvy; develop resistance against infectious agents (boosts immunity) and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
What are your favorite summer veggies? Of course, you can check out Fill Your Plate’s Seasonal Summer Chart to determine you own. It’s time to get cooking with our summer recipes too!
If you are like us, your stress level is at an all time high and you are beginning to feel the effects of prolonged stress in your body. The constant release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline weakens your immune system and leads to dangerous health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease. Living a lifestyle that counteracts effects of stress should be part of your overall plan for wellness and self care. Diet is a powerful lifestyle tool that can alleviate stress and mitigate the damage it does to your body.
Certain foods are natural mood enhancers that help you remain calm in stressful situations. Other foods actively repair the damage stress does at a cellular level, giving your body a powerful ally to fight the effects of stress. There are lots of different foods that will help you with stress management; these foods generally fall into the following five categories:
1. High in vitamins that fight the effects of stress and strengthen the immune system like blueberries, almonds, broccoli, beef and oranges
2. High in potassium and/or magnesium like spinach, avocados and apricots
3. High in folate/folic acid like leafy greens, broccoli, artichokes and arugula
4. High is Omega 3s like walnuts, fish and spinach
5. High in fiber like whole grains, artichokes, oats and broccoli
By combining these types of foods you can use your diet to help manage the level of stress in your life. Many foods in these categories are available throughout the year in Arizona. The wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and herbs available from local farms, at the farmer’s market and in local grocery store give you a rich resource for creating a delicious, stress busting diet.
Let’s see how you can eat across these categories throughout the day to maximize the stress management benefits. Below is a sample menu offering ideas on how to incorporate the different types of foods at every meal. Full recipes can be found at Fill Your Plate via the links provided.
Breakfast
Start the day off right with a delicious bowl of oatmeal which is full of fiber and helps to boost the level of serotonin, a mood enhancing chemical, in your brain. Add a handful of blueberries and you get a rich source of vitamin C, additional dietary fiber and stress-busting antioxidants.
For a hearty brunch option, serve up a Zesty Papa Protein Scramble that incorporates spinach and avocados which are filled with magnesium and potassium and fiber-rich artichokes into an appetite appeasing, stress fighting meal for the whole family.
Lunch
Looking for a light lunch? Try The Farmer’s Favorite Salad which is filled with stress-busting magnesium-rich spinach, walnuts that offer the benefits of Omega 3s and leafy greens packed with folate and topped off with a delicious dressing.
If you are in need of a hearty mid-day meal to fuel your afternoon, Tostados made with lean steak offer the stress reducing benefits of beef and the heartiness of beans, corn, and cheese. Whip up some fresh guacamole to add the stress busting benefits of avocados to your tasty Tostado.
Dinner
Beginning with a fresh Avocado & Tomato Salad, a dinner filled with stress reducing foods is easy to pull together and fabulous for gathering the family around the table. Choose Rosemary-Sage Steak with fresh steamed broccoli for your main course and keep everyone at the table with Apple Crisp with almonds for dessert.
The variety of stress busting foods available from Arizona’s farms make it easy to eat a diet designed to fight the stress in your life and keep you healthy and hearty for years to come.
If you were old enough, you might remember April 22, 1970. That year was Earth Day’s inauguration year. It’s credited by many for launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws soon followed the first Earth Day 41 years ago. According to the Earth Day Network, more than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
The theme for this year’s Earth Day is “A Billion Acts of Green.” According to the Earth Day Network, “A Billion Acts of Green – the largest environmental service campaign in the world–inspires and rewards simple individual acts and larger organizational initiatives that further the goal of measurably reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. The goal is to register 1 billion actions in advance of the global Earth Summit in Rio in 2012.”
Earth Day may be the largest civic observance in the world and the Earth Day Network may be attempting to register “A Billion Acts of Green,” but such efforts will never measure up to the daily “acts of green” found on our Arizona and American farms and ranches.
Shortly after Earth Day 2010, the United States Department Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service released the latest National Resources Inventory (NRI). Through empirical data, the NRI shows that America’s farmers and ranchers care for the land, and through their actions the environment has continually improved over the past 50 years, while at the same time farm and ranch productivity has dramatically increased even while resources needed for farming, like land and water, have been reduced.
Though every productive farm and ranch represents a billion acts of green, we’ll highlight just a few Arizona farm and ranch profiles that reflect what the NRI data are telling us and reveal the reality of our modern-day farmers and ranchers. The days of the farmer in overalls with pitchfork and mule team are long gone.
Modern-Day Farms and Ranches in Arizona Daily Produce Your “Billion Acts of Green”The Smallhouse family has been ranching and farming in Arizona for more than 120 years.
“Sustainability” is the buzzword for the green movement. Many espouse a farm is only sustainable if small, organic and producing singularly for the local or regional market. But sustainable American farms come in all shapes and sizes and produce for local, regional, national and international markets generation after generation, growing season after growing season and most of the time on the same land.
And truly sustainable farms and ranches are like Andy and Stefanie Smallhouse’s Carlink Ranch, located in Reddington, Arizona and established in the late 1800s. Fifth-generation cattle ranchers, Andy and his family before him have been raising cattle, growing hay and other forage on the same 100-square miles in southern Arizona for more than 120 years.
“America’s farm and ranch families are dedicated to caring for the land,” says Stefanie Smallhouse, also 2nd-vice president for Arizona Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors.
The Smallhouses innovate on their ranch all the time to improve the business and their bottom line. This includes producing their own biofuel from used cooking oil they collect from area restaurants. “Recycling used cooking oil reduces our fuel costs to operate our ranch,” says Andy.
Andy’s grazing management practices also conserve the land and improve efficiencies. As a result, their ranch’s biodiversity, with elevations ranging from 2,500 to 6,000 feet, is home to vast amounts of wildlife and birdlife.
You can find various innovative approaches on Arizona dairies too. By adopting new management practices and production enhancing technologies, over the years dairy farmers have been able to help reduce the dairy industry’s carbon footprint by more than 63 percent, according to the USDA. Today, more milk is produced with only 9 million cows than with 26 million cows in 1944. Another way to understand dairy cow milk production is to examine since 1980 the pounds of feed (grain, forage, etc) a cow now consumes to produce 100 pounds of milk. A cow’s feed consumption has decreased by more than 40% on average in the last 30 years.
Any dairy farmer will tell you they are committed to a healthy population and a healthy planet. And regards to sustainability on Arizona dairies, the average Arizona dairy farm is in its second generation of dairy production. Many Arizona dairy families are third-generation dairies.
Third-generation Dairy Farmer Paul Rovey says Arizona dairy families possess a longstanding commitment to sustainability.
“Arizona dairy producers have a longstanding commitment to sustainability,” explains Paul Rovey of Rovey Dairy, a third-generation dairy in Glendale, Arizona and features Jersey cows in his dairy herd. “We take care of the cows; the cows replenish the soil, which in turn, grows food for the cows. Dairy farming is about providing a nutritious product that enhances the health and wellness of humanity while leaving the earth better for the next generation. We are committed to continuous improvement.” And that continuous improvement is evident in the USDA data.
While farm and ranch productivity has increased dramatically since 1950, the use of resources (labor, seeds, feed, fertilizer, etc.) required for production has markedly declined. Howard Wuertz of Sundance Farms in Coolidge, Arizona is yet another example of Arizona’s abundant crop of farmers and ranchers that are sustainable and year after year keep improving productivity numbers.
Howard Wuertz’s parents planted their first cotton crop more than 80 years ago in Arizona at a time when rattlesnakes and coyotes dominated the landscape more than people. Today, Wuertz holds five patents in new farming technology primarily for minimum tillage above and between subsurface drip irrigation lines. He developed and was one of the first in Arizona to introduce drip irrigation to cotton farming to reduce water use. This and other innovations have continued to increase his yields.
“We reduced water use by 50% with our drip irrigation system,” said Howard Wuertz, one of the principal owners of Sundance Farms and an Arizona Farm Bureau member, “and generally on most crops like alfalfa, cotton, wheat and corn increased our yields by 30%.”
Just about everything at Hickman Family Farms is recycled.
And it’s not just about conservation and resource reduction to save water and land, it’s also about recycling. Just ask Hickman Family Farms, Arizona’s only commercial egg producing family.
In 1944, Bill and Gertie Hickman started raising chickens and selling eggs to local restaurants from their home in Glendale, Arizona, beginning with no more than 500 birds. Today, the entire family including four of the five Hickman kids, manage more than 5 million laying hens in modern, stress-free, air-conditioned facilities to provide millions of eggs for Arizona families each year.
Their farm is nearly closed looped and just about everything is recycled. Waste material including chicken manure and egg shells is composted and sold to a variety of businesses including organic farms.
Ranchers, dairy producers and farmers like the Smallhouse, Rovey and Wuertz families keep producing more food, fiber and fuel than ever before on fewer acres with fewer resources.
“Such modern production tools as global positioning satellites, biotechnology, conservation tillage and integrated pest management practices enhance farm and ranch productivity while reducing the environmental footprint,” explains Arizona Farm Bureau President Kevin Rogers, a third-generation cotton, wheat and alfalfa Arizona farmer based in Mesa, Arizona. “America’s farm and ranch families are dedicated to caring for our planet. They are ethical caretakers of the land and water resources that help make our nation’s bounty possible.”
President of United Dairymen of Arizona, Rovey adds, “The look of dairy farms has changed, but our values of caring for the environment are even stronger. Generations of Arizona dairy farmers have studied the science of caring for our environment’s health. This commitment to sustainability is for our children, our community and the earth.”
Rogers, who along with family members farms more than 7,000 acres, also points out that in addition to their ethical dedication to protecting the land; it’s in the economic interest of Arizona farmers and ranchers to care for our natural resources like water and land.
“America’s farmers and ranchers take their commitment to land stewardship very seriously, especially if they want to keep farming for the next generation. That’s why you easily and regularly meet 3rd, 4th and 5th generation Arizona farmers.”
Finally, despite all the challenges of farming including un-cooperative weather, cost and regulatory burdens, America’s farmers and ranchers are doing their part to feed a growing world. Total U.S. crop yield (tons per acre) has increased more than 360% since 1950.
Note: A series of print-ready “USA Today-style” graphics illustrating the above talking points (developed by AFBF based on the NRI survey) may be viewed/downloaded here: http://bit.ly/cwTb0h.
More details on Earth Day 2011 are available on the Earth Day Network’s website at http://www.earthday.org/.
What’s your favorite beet recipe? Image via Wikipedia 
My American Farm is a cooperative project that aims to increase agricultural knowledge by using interactive, educational computer games. Most of the current games are aimed at students in the 3rd thru 5th grades, but recent additions have introduced new games perfect for students in K-2.
Editor’s Note: A while back we ran this editorial from rancher, Troy Hadrick, in our Choices publication. He’s active in American Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer & Rancher program. He loves American agriculture and has a passion for spreading the truth about today’s modern and efficient agriculture industry. Because the word “sustainable” gets overused, we felt it would be valuable to run Troy’s editorial again on our blogs reminding readers of who the original sustainers of the land truly are.
Looking for a light lunch? Try The Farmer’s Favorite Salad which is filled with stress-busting magnesium-rich spinach, walnuts that offer the benefits of Omega 3s and leafy greens packed with folate and topped off with a delicious dressing.
