Occupying My Thoughts

The New Haven Green occupies the center square of New Haven’s original nine squares. An oasis in the midst of downtown, it serves as a common gathering place for the enjoyment of all. Declared a National Historic District in 1970, the Green is lined with elms and other shade trees. Specimen trees, some very old, others planted in recent decades as part of a plan to restore the Green, dot the interior of the portion known as the Upper Green, west of the three historic churches, east of Yale’s Old Campus. 

This is the site Occupy New Haven has chosen to occupy. The sole surviving Occupy encampment in New England, Occupy New Haven has been asked by City officials to vacate in recent weeks.

The Occupiers refuse to leave. They obtained a lawyer, Norm Pattis. They received an extension to the deadline set by the City for their eviction. They had their day in court. They received another extension until April 9, when a judge will issue an official decision on the matter. 

I sympathized with the Occupiers when they first arrived. How could I not? They were angry about bailouts for the same banks who had foreclosed on so many. They were angry at the wealthy 1% when they themselves could not find work. I agreed they had a right to assemble on the Green as countless other protestors (including me) had over the years. But setting up a permanent tent city? I draw the line there. The right to free speech is not the same as the right to camp on public land indefinitely.

Where the Occupy camp stands, the site is an eyesore. The Green is no longer green; the bare ground is packed down hard. The cost to the City for police and sanitation mounts each day the Occupiers remain.  

I love plants and trees. I am on my way to becoming a Master Gardener. One of the first things we learned in class is that tree roots need oxygen to thrive. One of the biggest killers of urban trees is soil compaction. Soil compaction restricts water and oxygen uptake by roots, and is associated with … foot traffic … and a host of other factors. With the weight of the Occupation over their roots all these months, the trees must be stressed. A stressed tree is prone to illness and disease, just as people are. It is estimated that just one healthy 10 year old tree absorbs 48 pounds of CO2 a year, releasing enough oxygen into the air to support two human beings. This benefit is in addition to the shade a healthy tree supplies, the wildlife it supports, and the beauty it contributes to the urban landscape.

The Occupiers' tent city is depriving City residents and visitors of their  right to enjoy the Green, “one of the most beautiful public greens in the country.” It is costing the City money it does not have to spend. Most importantly, it is jeopardizing the health of the Green's trees.

It is time for Occupy to go. Yes, I feel a twinge of remorse in saying this. But as a City resident who is striving to be “green,” it is impossible for me to think any other way.

Meatless Monday: Acorn Squash Casserole

Recipe du Jour

Yes, it’s a short post today. Here’s the story…

Some weeks ago I had some native acorn squash I needed to use before it went to waste. I searched online for recipes, but didn’t find anything that fit my mood or the ingredients on hand. With what I’d found as inspiration, I came up with my own recipe for Acorn Squash Casserole. It was good, very good.

I sent it to Joey, my contact at Meatless Monday. She liked it, and asked for a photo. Can you believe I had neglected to photograph my dish? So, I went to the market, bought some more squash (from Mexico, alas) and made it again. The verdict was still 4 thumbs up!

Here’s the photo. [Thanks, Don.]

The extra effort paid off. Today my Acorn Squash Casserole is one of Meatless Monday’s featured recipes. Go to the Meatless Monday site for today, March 26, to find the recipe. All the ingredients and cooking instructions are there, as well as the nutritional information.  

I hope you will give my recipe a try. It’s a good source of protein and fiber and pretty low in carbs. It’s easy to make, the active cooking time is really short, and you can use it as a main course or as a side. 

While you’re there, take some time to check out the rest of the site. See who else has joined the movement. You will find I’m in good company. 

Happy Monday. Have a great week. And stop by again soon.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: KYF

In recent weeks the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been much maligned for allowing “pink slime” to be served to school children and for greenlighting a GMO corn touted as “drought resistant,” the first fields of which will soon planted in test trials across the Western Great Plains. That’s a lot of bad press for a department celebrating its 150th year.

Screenshot of the Compass cover

On Leap Day, in the midst of all this controversy, the USDA released the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. It should have been a shining moment.The Compasses showcases the work of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative, which was launched in 2009 to coordinate the work of USDA’s 17 agencies and many staff offices that invest in local and regional food systems.  The Compass is an online multi-media narrative with case studies, photos, facts, videos, and an interactive map documenting USDA supported local and regional food activities in all 50 states.  

Farmers markets are a highly visible component of Know Your Farmer (KYF). The Compass states, “The number of farmers markets nationwide increases by 54% between 2008 and 2011, providing 7,000 venues for farmers to interact directly with consumers.” If you take the time to flip through the pages of the Compass pdf, however, you will soon realize that there is much more to the KYF story. KYF provided funds for a vast array of programs, projects, and purchases including: mobile meat processing units allowing small farmers to process their meat on site; high tunnels to extend the growing season; preservation of farm land; support for young farmers; and farm to school programs.

Grants were not confined to rural areas. Try out the interactive map for grants to urban centers. Click on New Haven and you will find three grants. 

• Zip code 06511 received one of the seasonal high tunnels. 
• The recently opened Elm City Market in New Haven was the recipient of a $4,000,000 USDA loan. 
• New Haven’s City Seed received a grant of over $73,000 for marketing and expanding membership services for the Buy CT Grown program.

I can attest from personal experience that this government money has made a positive impact in my city. I would imagine that citizens across the country would say the same. Let’s all take a moment to recognize KYF and the many other good things the USDA has done during its 150 years. 

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Peeling Garlic Made Easy (Maybe)

I’ve had a deadline-filled week and I have a busy weekend planned. So if you are looking for an erudite post today, you won’t find it.

Here’s what I have instead – a short and very entertaining video about peeling a head of garlic in 10 seconds without getting your hands smelly. I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t swear it works. 

My friend Joannie shared this on her blog a few weeks back. She credited Jonah, who must have found it on the Saveur Magazine site, a place I have to confess I had never visited before watching its executive food editor Todd Coleman’s performance in this clip.

I hope you like it. Please come back soon. I have a couple of posts in the works. I’m still filling in the links and details.

Have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day and a great weekend.

Meatless Monday: Welcome to Claire’s

Long before the phrases “sustainable food movement” or “artisanal” were coined, and before most of us had heard of Michael Pollan or Alice Waters, New Haven had Claire Criscuolo. In 1975, on a prominent downtown corner, Claire opened Claire’s Corner Copia, a casual restaurant serving healthy, affordable food, initially cooked entirely by Claire and her family. Much has changed in New Haven and the world during the decades since then, but Claire’s and Claire are still on the same corner where it all began. Welcome to Claire’s is a new cookbook celebrating the landmark restaurant’s first 35 years.



I love Claire. This is not the first time I have dedicated a post to her, nor is Welcome to Claire’s the first of her cookbooks I have purchased. Welcome, however, does the best job of conveying the essence of Claire’s. In this book you hear Claire through her recollections and section intros. You see Claire through the book’s many colored photographs — of Claire, her staff, her food, and her satisfied customers. And you get a sense of just how important Claire’s is from the customer testimonials scattered throughout its pages. 

Of course there are also recipes. Those designated “Claire’s Classic” are directions for preparing time-honored staples from the restaurant’s menu, including my husband’s favorite — Moroccan Sweet Potatoes — and the item most associated with Claire’s — her beloved Lithuanian Coffee Cake. The collection also contains numerous vegan and gluten-free offerings. Indeed, the only readers who may have to look hard to find something to satisfy a craving are those on the Paleo Diet.

I baked the Pumpkin Spice Bread so I would have something to trade at Slow Food Shoreline’s Slow Food Swap last Saturday. I doubled the recipe and baked one large and four small loaves. [I kept two for us.] The use of cardamom instead of the more expected nutmeg, and the addition of dried cranberries as well as the usual pecans, made these loaves deliciously different. My kitchen smelled great for hours. I would caution you, though, to check the breads earlier than the stated time. It might have been my pans or the fact that I had a double batch, but my loaves were done far earlier than I had expected. All turned out fine. I caught them in time. And they made a fine currency for trading.

Claire dedicated the book to her husband and business partner Frank whom she called, “the love of my life.” Sadly, Frank passed away late last year before the book was printed. He would be proud.

I am very glad I’ve added Welcome to Claire’s to my collection and I urge you to do the same. The book is available at Claire’s, in area bookstores, at the Elm City Market, and online. 

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Kony 2012

If my blog is the first you’ve heard of Kony 2012, you must not be a teenager or have one in your home. A tweet from my niece Sophie on Tuesday alerted met to this video which has gone viral over the course of this week.

Kony 2012 is a film and campaign by San Diego-based non-profit Invisible Children which aims to make Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony famous [infamous, actually] and to rally support to take him out by year’s end. Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army have been kidnapping children in Uganda for child soldiers and sex slaves for three decades. 

Invisible Children launched this 30-minute film on vimeo one week ago today. According to an article in the LA Times, on that first day it had 20 views. It has been on YouTube since Monday. When I last checked, the views were over 55,000,000!

Invisible Children advocates for US military involvement to make Kony’s capture possible. Viewers are asked to spread the video through the social media, commit to a monthly $15 donation to purchase an action kit, and to spend the night of April 20 blanketing their city with Kony 2012 posters.

The film and Invisible Children have garnered criticism as well as praise. Visible Children, a tumblr site, with the tagline “Kony 2012, viewed critically,” has been viewed over 2 million times. There are some dissenting African voices accusing the group of intervening where it does not belong, and of actually thwarting ongoing efforts to capture Kony. Others have criticized the group for its spending practices; it has a mediocre rating at Charity Navigator. Invisible Children refutes the criticism on their own site.

Every news outlet has covered this story during the course of the week. One of the most recent is CNN’s summary of Kony’s rise to power. 

I am not about to pass judgment on this phenomenon. I will, however, share a few thoughts.

Kony 2012 has certainly succeeded in shedding light on a terrible situation about which most of the world has been ignorant for decades.  Am I uneasy about its call for military intervention? Yes. Am I going to buy a kit and poster my block? Probably not. Will I contact my senator and representative about Kony 2012? Most likely.

Do I appreciate the power of social media in the hands of those who know how to use it? Definitely. 

Meatless Monday: My Short List

Happy Monday.

For you readers who arrive through Meatless Monday I am posting an abbreviated version of “What's On My Radar 3.4.12” which I published yesterday. It includes just the food news. For the full version, click here.

NEWS from ALL OVER:

Judge Rules “For” Monsanto, “Against” CT NOFA (and 80+ other plaintiffs). On the very day that I blogged about why I’d joined CT NOFA, Judge Naomi Buchwald dismissed the case of Organic Seed Growers et al. vs Monsanto. Dan Ravicher, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, stated, “While I have great respect for Judge Buchwald, her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world's foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing." The plaintiffs plan to appeal. Check out CT NOFA’s blog for an excellent summary of the proceedings and more comments from Ravicher and some of the plaintiffs. If you are interested, you can read the judge’s ruling here.

Late last month, a VERY large lobster (40” and 27 lbs), was caught near Cushing, Maine and brought to the Maine State Aquarium. He was photographed, given a name (Rocky) and released. Large as Rocky is, he is 17 pounds shy of the Nova Scotia lobster listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Bottled Water Banned at the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service has approved a a plan which will eliminate the sale of bottled water by park concessionaires. It will take effect in just a few days. Ten filling stations, where visitors can refill their own water bottles, have been set up inside the park. Officials had estimated that water bottles accounted for 20% of the park’s waste and 30% of its recyclables. Similar bans are in place at two other national parks — Zion and Hawaii Volcanoes. Last March, New Haven’s Board of Aldermen prohibited the use of any public funds to purchase bottled water for the City of New Haven. 

NEWS from NEW HAVEN:

Claire Criscuolo has a new cookbook, Welcome to Claire’s, illustrated with color photos. She has been on a mini book signing tour in the area. Stop by Claire’s to purchase a copy if you are nearby. Otherwise, check it out online. [Check back soon for a review.]

The number of owner/members in the Elm City Market continues to grow. When the store opened its doors on November 2, membership was at 750. There were 1431 members when the store’s site was last updated.

DISCOVERIES:

Deer have been ravaging backyards in New Haven’s East Shore, as well as those on the west side of town where they’ve been residing for years. At Master Gardening I was told that stringing pieces of Irish Spring around the periphery of your property is an effective deterrent. Downside? Mice are said to be attracted by the scent. You will have to choose your pest. [My yard is small and on the edge of an urban center, so I have not had the opportunity to give this a try. Should I ever have the need, we will have a very big problem.]

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 7th

6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Pint Night

Co-sponsored by Trailblazer and Box 63 

in the Broadway District of New Haven

In support of CitySeed. 

More details. 

March 10th

4:00 - 6:00 pm

CT Slow Food Shoreline's Slow Food Swap

Woodland Coffee

The second of what is planned to be a monthly event.

For more info, check here. I hope to trade this time around.

CALLING ALL RIDERS

April 21st

Rock to Rock 

Kicks off from Common Ground High School after a hearty breakfast

Hundreds of riders raise money for local environmental groups while exploring New Haven by bicycle (an 8-Mile ride). Hard-core riders have the option of signing on for a 20 or 60 mile route. Last year over 500 riders raised more than $50,000. I had a blast on the short route last year and am looking forward to this year’s ride. I’m thinking of going for the 20 mile route. If you want to ride with me or pledge for my team, let me know.

BLOG NEWS:

I finally put a closing date on my petition asking Stop & Shop to stop sourcing their organic green beans from China. I did gather 290 signatures and raised some awareness of the problem among my readers. And, the next time I want to start a petition, I’ll  know exactly how to do it.

My page views continue to rise. Thanks for all the tweets, +1s and forwards. Together we can make a difference.

Have a great week. “See” you next Monday.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal  health and the health of our planet.”

On My Radar 3.4.12

Recent News. Happenings. Discoveries…Here are some of the items on my radar.

NEWS from ALL OVER:

Judge Rules “For” Monsanto, “Against” CT NOFA (and 80+ other plaintiffs). On the very day that I blogged about why I’d joined CT NOFA, Judge Naomi Buchwald dismissed the case of Organic Seed Growers et al. vs Monsanto. Dan Ravicher, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, stated, “While I have great respect for Judge Buchwald, her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world's foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing." The plaintiffs plan to appeal. Check out CT NOFA’s blog for an excellent summary of the proceedings and more comments from Ravicher and some of the plaintiffs. If you are interested, you can read the judge’s ruling here.

Winter Tornadoes. A wide band of early season tornadoes wreaked havoc in the Midwest on February 29, killing 6 in Harrisburg, Illinois, and causing extensive damage in tourist mecca Branson, Missouri. A story in the Aledo Times Record  reported the Harrisburg tornado as an EF-4 (a measurement used to measure its windspeed by the level of its destruction), with winds up to 170 miles per hour. The article stated, “Before Harrisburg, the only other EF-4 tornado to strike Illinois in February was on February 25, 1956 when one passed south of St. Louis and into St. Clair County Illinois, causing 6 deaths in those two states … Southern Illinois is home to the worst tornado disaster in U.S. history. On March 18, 1925, the infamous Tri-State Tornado caused 695 deaths as it moved through southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana.” A second devastating outbreak on March 2 brought destruction to a dozen states from Alabama to Indiana. The Weather Channel reported the preliminary count for tornado sightings as 74.  The Weather Channel posted an interactive map of all the reports.  On Sunday CNN listed the death toll as 37. You can see a photo gallery here. 

Sunflowers in Fukushima. It’s coming up to one year since a tsunami struck Japan and triggered a nuclear disaster at Fukushima. In April, 2011, Buddhist monks and scientists planted sunflowers as phytoremediators for the radioactive element cesium, restoring beauty to the area and bringing hope to citizens. Unfortunately, however, it seems the sunflowers did little to reduce the cesium levels. 

Late last month, a VERY large lobster (40” and 27 lbs), was caught near Cushing, Maine and brought to the Maine State Aquarium. He was photographed, given a name (Rocky) and released. Large as Rocky is, he is 17 pounds shy of the Nova Scotia lobster listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Bottled Water Banned at the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service has approved a a plan which will eliminate the sale of bottled water by park concessionaires. It will take effect in just a few days. Ten filling stations, where visitors can refill their own water bottles, have been set up inside the park. Officials had estimated that water bottles accounted for 20% of the park’s waste and 30% of its recyclables. Similar bans are in place at two other national parks — Zion and Hawaii Volcanoes. Last March, New Haven’s Board of Aldermen prohibited the use of any public funds to purchase bottled water for the City of New Haven. 

NEWS from NEW HAVEN:

Claire Criscuolo has a new cookbook, Welcome to Claire’s, illustrated with color photos. She has been on a mini book signing tour in the area. Stop by Claire’s to purchase a copy if you are nearby. Otherwise, check it out online. [Check back soon for a review.]

There’s a relatively new 66,000 pound resident on lower Orange Street — a fuel cell, the City’s 3rd. The cell, being rented from United Technologies,  occupies the little-used Millenium Plaza behind City Hall, between the Federal Building and the Hall of Records. The cell is not much to look at, but it is expected to free the City from a contract for power from the adjacent Connecticut Financial Center which expires in 2013. It is estimated that by switching to the cell, in one decade the City will reap a net savings between $500,000 and $1 million in heating and cooling costs. The cell will become operational as soon as possible, with some of the energy coming from the Financial Center until the contract runs out.

The storm sewer separation work continues on Trumbull Street. It is noisy. It is inconveniencing drivers and annoying residents. But it is truly a wonder to behold the pipe jacking being used to minimize the impact on the well established trees which line the street. Here is the latest update. 

The number of owner/members in the Elm City Market continues to grow. When the store opened its doors on November 2, membership was at 750. There were 1431 members when the store’s site was last updated.

DISCOVERIES:

Deer have been ravaging backyards in New Haven’s East Shore, as well as those on the west side of town where they’ve been residing for years. At Master Gardening I learned that stringing pieces of Irish Spring around the periphery of your property is an effective deterrent. Downside? Mice are said to be attracted by the scent. You will have to choose your pest.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 7th

6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Pint Night

Co-sponsored by Trailblazer and Box 63 

in the Broadway District of New Haven

In support of CitySeed. 

More details. 

March 10th

4:00 - 6:00 pm

CT Slow Food Shoreline's Slow Food Swap

Woodland Coffee

The second of what is planned to be a monthly event.

For more info, check here. I hope to trade this time around.

CALLING ALL RIDERS

March 23rd

5:00 pm - 8:00 pm 

Mitchell’s Ride

It’s been almost a year since the passing of popular Devil’s Gear mechanic and musician Mitchell Dubey. Devil’s Gear owner Matt Feiner and Mitch’s many other friends are holding a ride in his honor,  leaving from the shop and ending with a party back at the shop, which will “celebrate Mitch’s love of good things to eat and music.” And they really want you all to be there.

April 21st

Rock to Rock 

Kicks off from Common Ground High School after a hearty breakfast

Hundreds of riders raise money for local environmental groups while exploring New Haven by bicycle (an 8-Mile ride). Hard-core riders have the option of signing on for a 20 or 60 mile route. Last year over 500 riders raised more than $50,000. I had a blast on the short route last year and am looking forward to this year’s ride. I’m thinking of going for the 20 mile route. If you want to ride with me or pledge for my team, let me know.

BLOG NEWS:

I finally put a closing date on my petition asking Stop & Shop to stop sourcing their organic green beans from China. I did gather 290 signatures and raised some awareness of the problem among my readers. And, the next time I want to start a petition, I’ll  know exactly how to do it.

My page views continue to rise. Thanks for all the tweets, +1s and forwards. Together we can make a difference.

Please “visit” again soon. And, for those who live in New Haven, I hope to see you out and about as the days get longer. There’s a lot to do in The Have.