Another reason to grow your own

The government will allow food producers to zap fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with enough radiation to kill micro-organisms like E. coli and salmonella that for decades have caused widespread illness among consumers.

Okay. So irradiating food isn't (maybe) as bad as it sounds. The food doesn't become radioactive. It's a process, similar to pasteurization, that kills microorganisms. Sort of like a microwave. Safe, they say. But strange.

And I don't like it.

I don't like it because I make huge efforts to eat food that has undergone little or no processing. The technical term for this is "whole foods", though it might simply be called food. It is what people have been eating for, well, forever, with excellent results. I don't believe food should be developed in a laboratory. And I think that all this processing has not served us humans very well.

I also don't like it because it seems to be a really lame way to solve a problem. The problem is foodborne illness. Salmonella. E. coli. These things don't spring up mysteriously. They thrive in certain known conditions.

Accepting unsafe processing practices, then blasting unclean produce with radiation and calling it safe is a little sad. The solution seems obvious. Clean up farming practices and processing plants and inspect more frequently. Minimize food miles.

Some experts agree.

“The agency is choosing to have a high-tech expensive solution to a problem that needs a more thorough approach and one that really starts on the farm,” Ms. Smith DeWaal of the science center said.

Others are not so sure.

Federal officials say they continue to study the science behind proposals to require good agricultural practices. In the meantime, irradiation could help, Dr. Tarantino of the F.D.A. said.

While the FDA undergoes scientific study of the merit of "good agricultural practices", I'll draw my own conclusions. I'll say good agricultural practices are good! And I'll continue to buy from local farmers as much as I can.


By the way, irradiated food should be labeled with this symbol. Look for it. (And steer clear.)

And then she shed tears of joy...

Okay. I've got a thing for sheds.

I think they're ridiculously cool and I've wanted one for a long time. Living in the city, you don't see too many sheds. But, gardening in the city without a garage, we really need a place for all the tools and outdoor things. Johnny and I have looked around for something cheap, with no luck. When Liz wrote about her shed, I sighed from afar with longing. She has a shed and she doesn't even want it. Someday I'll have a shed of my own.

And when I stumbled across this article about "home offices of the garden variety," I began to see the humble shed in a new light. The article quoted this blog which showcases various "shedworkers" and their awesomely outfitted shed offices. Based in the UK, the site proclaims to be the only guide to "the lifestyles of shedworkers and those who work in shedlike atmospheres." Shedworkers! (I love the Brits.) It's not enough to be a Self-Employed, Sole Prop, Work at Homer. I could earn the moniker Shedworker!

So, here's the dream shed.



Oh, come on. That's hardly a shed. That's a house. Here's another one.



And look! Le Corbusier built a shed for his wife. "You walk down a little footpath with cactuses by the sea to get to it." Now that's love.



And this...is MY shed.



It's also, as you can see, a newspaper stand. (Note the vintage styling: Johnny got it off the John Dillinger job*.) It's not quite large enough for an office, but it would do just fine as a vegetable stand. Maybe next year we'll sell lemonade and fresh veggies. If we do, you'll read about it here!







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*Once they're done filming, and all the appropriate props and set dressing have gone back to prop houses, they sell any leftover props at cost (or less). Over the years, Johnny has always made good use of his pickup truck and rarely met a piece of furniture/wood/glassware/metal he didn't like. The job taketh Johnny away from home, but the job also giveth. And this one was no different. We got a beautiful full-length mirror, a few potted palms, some leftover wood that John will use to make sculptures. And our glorious little shed.

I guess I've been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging. Lots of factors. Late summer and I've been spending more time in the garden and out with the dog. Also, a herniated (or compressed) disc and then a dash of carpal tunnel symptoms have kept me away from anything resembling a desk or a computer.

Yoga practice has changed with all this recent injury, but I'm still practicing every day. It's hard to do an Ashtanga practice. I went to a class and my back felt a bit tender the next day. Too many forward bends. So, I'm doing shorter, gentler sessions at home, with a little more pranayama and meditation. Most days, I do a 20-minute asana session in the morning, following by sitting and then another session in the afternoon. I've also started walking more, since I'm not able to do a full, vigorous practice. (My body noticed the slow-down and promptly demanded more movement.)

Each time I have some sort of injury, my experience with yoga becomes much deeper. I am naturally quite flexible and most poses are more or less available to me. But with an injury, my movement becomes limited and I must be hyper-aware of what I'm asking my body to do in each pose. It requires me to slow down, back off, and truly practice with a beginner's mind. The poses become a little more subtle. It's frustrating to shake up my routine of daily practice, but I'm also grateful. Injury is a great teacher. It also helps me understand how to teach students of different abilities.

I'll close with a few pictures of Saro. John bought him a pool, which we naturally thought he would enjoy. Not so. Note the look of desperation on his face as he searches for an escape.



And here he is, much happier, hanging out in the garden.





More posts coming soon.