Farmer Heroes

My good friends Erin and Al (The Organic Chef™) Rosas have been nominated for as Farmer Heroes from the good folks at Farm Aid.  The 100% grass fed farmers are racking up the accolades this year having already won the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon 2008 Small Business Award with, “ROSAS FARMS proves that a business can make a significant difference in its community.”  They retail their fabulous organic products so that everyone can enjoy them and they have a newletter to help keep folks informed. 

Any back to the Farm Hero, check out what they get if they win: One grand prize winner will win a trip for four to the concert, including front row tickets, round trip airfare, and hotel accommodations.

Al and Erin have put in a lot of hard work doing things th right way and helping other do likewise so congrats to them for getting a little recognition.

Ask Aida

Origianlly posted at Edible TV (edibletv.net) on May 6, 2008.

I’m sure by now that everyone is familiar with the cooking show formula of people who are struggling to prepare certain dishes having some suave chef show up at their door with a film crew and a hefty budget. Tyler did it. Rocco is doing it. Newcomer Danny Boome is even getting into the act. Well finally a lady will be doing the honors.

Aida Mollenkamp is best known as the food editor of the popular foodie website chow.com. She is a chef who received her Grand Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and also has a BS from the esteemed Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Aida is now ready to apply her years of experience and education to help folks with their pantry problems in her new Food Network show Ask Aida (premieres August 2).

But Aida has a small problem. She can’t help you if she doesn’t hear from you. On May 2, Food Network released the following casting call:

Starting this summer, cooking expert Aida Mollenkamp can solve all your culinary concerns: from recipe and ingredient issues to advice on kitchen machinery and tools. She can even offer guidance for impromptu parties, feeding a crowd, make-ahead dishes and time-saving tips.

But first, Aida needs to hear your most pressing cooking concerns and conundrums! From problems with pies, pancakes, brownies, chocolate, cookies and cakes, as well as challenges you face when making chicken, meat and potatoes or seafood and salads, Aida is ready to tackle it all. But she not only wants to hear it, she wants to SEE it too. Your video might appear on Food Network’s new series Ask Aida. Upload a unique, creative and entertaining, 45-60 second video (90 seconds if it’s amazing!) that shows Aida what your culinary challenge is and how she can help. Only the very best videos will be considered, so get creative! For more detailed instructions from Aida herself, watch the watch the first video in the gallery.

To apply click here.

It is nice to see Food Network finally starting to tap the Net for new talent. It is a trend that I would like to see continue, especially considering the immense popularity of some of the Internet-based cooking shows like Average Betty, Kitchen Vixen with Elizabeth Brown, and Everyday Gourmet hosted by a certain Edible TV blogger who shall remain nameless.

 

Photo courtesy of the Food Network.

Fish is in NO WAY Worse For You Than Bacon

Many of you may have this headline recently, “Fish Worse Than Bacon.”  It is some of the least responsible journalism I have seen in some time.  Appearantly a recent study by Wake Forrest University found that farm raised tilapia and catfish have higher levels of Omega 6 fatty acids than bacon and have little Omega 3’s so Fox & Friends ran with the afforementioned headline.

The fish in question are farm raised which is never a good thing and they are fed the same things we fed pigs.  Dr. Manny, Alvarez explains this briefly in the story but the headline should have read Farm Raised Fish Worse Than Bacon.  The headline they ran did not go with the story they reported.  Rather than go for shock value they should have addressed the issue that farm raised seafood (most of it anyway) is not good for you.

Farm raised salmon and trout may do well on the Omega-3 scale but they are rock bottom when it comes to cancer causing toxins. Most farm raised seafood is deadly.  The feed they give them is toxic to humans. Asian farm raised shrimp, for instance, contains a chemical that causes Aplastic Anemia.  So much of it is banned in the US that you see most farm raised seafood coming from other countries who do not care what chemicals they use. Now, this imported seafood is also illegal to sell but the USDA is over loaded with it at our ports so they only inspect about 2% of the seafood we bring in and most of that is rejected.

The best advice is don’t eat farm raised seafood. If it is not “wild caught US” then not only will it kill you but it is also destroying our economy which is already in the dumpster. And as far as chicken goes, I cannot think of a worse protein to ingest – American farm raised chicken is like eating a rod of weapons grade plutonium dipped in raw sewage. Look for the phrases organic, wild caught, free range, or all natural when you purchase any meat, poultry, or seafood.

For more information of the right fish to eat check out my July 3rd post, Eat the Right Fish.