Archiv der Kategorie: Allgemein

New from old – cooking with unwanted food

 

New from old – cooking with unwanted food

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In times of mass poverty in a consumerist society it might not come as a surprise that some people decide to cover their need for food through activities like “dumpster diving”. Dumpster diving describes the act of taking food from garbage bins of bigger supermarkets. But the prospect of free food is not the only motivation behind this movement which might become clearer after considering the following facts:

According to a study by the university of Stuttgart every year every household in Germany throws away 82 kg of edible food which sums up to almost seven million tons nationwide[1] . According to Feed The World, a movie about the food industry, ”half of what the food industry produces is thrown away before it even reaches the aisles, because it does not meet the required standards”.

In order to raise awareness about the topic of unnecessary waste of food, we decided to find unwanted food and cook a three course meal. This process of creating something delicious from waste challenges the ideals of our self- indulgence society. Still, it ought to be mentioned that dumpster diving is considered to be illegal (§123 StGB).

We think, however, dumpster diving is worth supporting, yet you can establish your own stands towards this issue and activity.

 

Still, don’t you think these pictures speak for themselves?

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>>>>>>>>>>>And here you can watch us cook:<<<<<<<<<<

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9eEFH5C3So&list=UUnlmD3YgMwZTm4f7GkmoBBQ

 

[1]http://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/Ernaehrung/WvL/Studie_Lebensmittelabfaelle_Kurzfassung.pdf;jsessionid=C9A11F7FBF1C5D87A9DD751554894D08.2_cid367?__blob=publicationFile

Zucchini soup

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This is a simple soup with very few ingredients.
Zucchini (amount according to own needs)
Potatoes (about half amount of zucchini)
Vegetable broth
100-200 ml cream
salt, pepper, grana padano (if you wish)

Depending on how many people will eat it, choose a generous amount of zucchini. Here I used 1kg. Keep in mind that the zucchini’s will lose volume once they’re mashed, 5-6 of them might look like a lot at first.
Cut off the ends of each zucchini, cut into slices, then quarter them. No need to peel them, the skin is edible and healthy and crucial for the color of the soup. Potatoes need peeling. Cut them into dices and make sure they’re not too big, otherwise it’ll need too long until they’re done.
Fill about one liter of water into a saucepan and two to three table spoons of vegetable broth. Add zucchini and wait until it boils, then turn down the heat. Do the same to the potatoes in another pot. Try a piece of zucchini to see if it’s ready. It should be soft and juicy. Take the pot off the hot plate and let it cool down. Again, the same goes for the potatoes. Once they’re done, pour off the water.
Time to mash. Take an electric blender and best someone to help you hold the pot. Cover your shirt, you might get stains (!). Then start to make the pieces of zucchini one even mash. Next, add the cream. You don’t have to use all of it, just as much as you personally like. Add salt an pepper. Stirr and mash until you have the righ consistency. Add the potatoe-dices and if you like, you can mash them into the zucchini to get a more creamy soup or just pour the dices into it. Decorate with a few slices of grana padano and that’s it, you’re done.

How to: Cook a Potato-Veggie-Nut Pan

http://youtu.be/8GgNmsGJqzs

  • 500g of waxy potatoes
  • 60g of nuts (cashew nut, hazelnut, pine kernel, or whatever you like)
  • 1 table spoon of olive oil
  • ~200ml of vegetable broth (depends on how juicy you like it, just try out what works for you. If it looks like you used too few, just add some more.)
  • 2 big carrots
  • 1 rather small broccoli floret
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 table spoons of frozen herbs, e.g. the Italian kind (but feel encouraged to use fresh herbs if is the right season)
  • 80g of old, alpine cheese

Recipe taken (and modified by us) from Angelika Ilies in:  Monika Greiner: Handtaschenkochbuch. Vegetarisch. Gräfe und Unzer Verlag. München, 2012.

„Ab geht die Lucie!“

Are you looking to be active and design your surroundings? Then this self-organised project in Neustadt, Bremen will be a perfect fit for you – „Ab geht die Lucie!“.
In June 2013 the community garden opened its doors for everyone who is interested in independent work with plants, fruits and vegetables. Till now vegetable patches, seedlings, all kinds of flowers, a small stage and, for the young visitors, a sandpit were built. As a result, the club „KulturPflanzen“ was established. Furthermore interested people can join to work in the small vegetable patches or bring up new ideas to develop the „Lucie“ even further on Mondays and Sundays.

You can find us on http://ab-geht-die-lucie.blogspot.de/ or on Facebook!

FOODSHARING – „Ab-geht-die-Lucie“

While working on our project we were searching for some local ideas and concepts. Foodsharing and “Ab-geht-die-Lucie” are the result of it. We’ve decided to take those two concepts because we liked the idea of sharing and meeting new people at the same time!

What exactly those concepts are about you can read beneath!

 

What is this „foodsharing“ and what is the idea behind it???

Foodsharing is an initiative that gives you the possibility to share or exchange excessive food with others in many different cities in Germany. Thereby you also get the chance to find and pick up groceries you need for your cooking.

The idea is to share food which is still good but would otherwise be thrown away. Did you know that more than half of all our vegetables are tossed away before they reach the shops? The objective is that groceries regain their value and are no longer regarded as just a product. So if you decide to grab some of it you don’t even have to pay for them. Awesome!

 

So why don’t you JOIN?

You can easily register on the webpage www.foodsharing.de and start to participate straight away.

They just need your name and e-mail with a password!

 

GIVE some!

Your fridge is still full and you’re going on vacation? Or you had a party yesterday and heaps of leftovers? Maybe you have your own farm, bakery or shop and can’t utilize all of your goods?

Go and upload those things!

 

TAKE it!

You are already home but forgot an ingredient? It’s Sunday and shops are closed?

On foodsharing you are able to find available groceries in your neighborhood. Just type in your address and see what different kinds of items will appear on the map.

 

SHARE!

You don’t want to cook alone? Your stew is too much for you to finish all by yourself?

You can actually meet people via foodsharing and cook together!

 

Source:
www.foodsharing.de (website accessed on 3rd December 2014)

(written by Linda Brönstrup)

Where can I buy local food in Bremen?

Maiskolben Bremen

  • the „Maiskolben Bremen“ shop promotes with being organic, fair and still cheap
  • you can buy milk, cheese, eggs and meat from Bremen
  • no genetic engineering!
  • you can get fruit and vegetables from local farmers there!
  • coffee and chocolate are bought transfair (via fair transfer to support the producers)
  • the bread and the cookies are baked in a workshop for handicapped

You can apply for a membership to support the Maiskolben. Passive members donate 12€ and active members donate 5€ per month. 🙂

You can find them in Bremen Neustadt:
Rolandstraße 26, 28199 Bremen

…or online at:  http://www.maiskolben-bremen.de/

 

(written by Tara Kia)

Why Should I Buy Local Food?

  • Help your local farmers!
    –  You can support your network of local farmers!
    – The products are directly selled to the consumer – to you! By passing the “middleman“ (which is the store), your local farmer gets the full retail price and can continue farming!
  • Better quality!
    – The local products do not have to travel far which makes them less likely to get damaged!
    – The nutritional contents are determined by the farmers – better for you!
    – The flavor is natural – no chemicals!
  • Do your environment a favor!Our food travels about 1500 miles per air and truck. You can help saving energy that is used for transport!
    – The products do not have to travel far which leads to the cut of fossil fuels!
    – Conserving water resources leads to clean water!
    – You support the purity of fertile soil!
    – Help the wildlife by preserving their habitat!
    – Less packaging is needed due to the no-frills process! (A method to lower the costs in companies by leaving out non-essential parts of the product in order to provide cheap prices)
    – The beautiful countryside and cropfields only exist when farms are financially stable! The value of the land thus increases!
  • Freshness
    – With time, sugars turn to starches – the short travel route of the local products helps preventing!
    – Plant cells do not shrink!
    – Your food does not lose vitality and flavor!
    – Nutrients do not get lost!
  • Diversity!
    Family farms grow a huge number of varieties and hybrid fruits and vegetables, providing eye-catching colors and nice flavors! The reason ist hey do not have to stick to certain given rules and rigors of harvesting, packaging, shipping or storage.

Sources:

 (written by Tara Kia)

Who do you eat?

Two hundred and fifty-five. It probably took you a split second to read this. By now, I am sure, at least one second has passed and another two hundred and fifty-five animals have been killed in the UK alone, to serve and be served on our plates. Worldwide, it is more than 3000 animals per second (not counting the vast amounts of fish and sea creatures) who have a miserable end put to their short and miserable lives in this very moment. Most people don’t even bother to think about these numbers. Why should they? It is incredibly disturbing to do so – just as disturbing as the circumstances under which said animals have been reared before they were slaughtered in inhumane ways.
 
Today’s high-pressure agriculture’s goal is to produce as much meat, eggs and milk for as little money as possible – at the cost of the animals. In such factory-farms, cows, calves, pigs, chicken, turkeys, ducks and other animals are trapped in overcrowded stalls, cages, crates or sheds, where they are often unable to even turn around or take a single step in their entire lives. They are so over-bred and over-fed that they literally grow to death. They are neutered and crippled without anesthesia. Male chicks born in egg-production hatcheries are sorted out and suffocated, gassed or minced alive at a few hours old. Calves are separated from their mothers instantly after birth and chained down in tiny crates, unable to move and suffering from iron deficiency, so that their meat is most tender when they are slaughtered 24 weeks later. Animals are deliberately mistreated and abused by the workers in most cruel ways. Their veterinary care is limited to the minimum needed to receive a sellable end product. Allowing them some kind of comfort or the mere absence of pain and distress is not even considered, since it is not profitable. They will never feel the warmth of the sun on their backs nor the grass beneath their feet. They will never even get a glimpse of the lives they were supposed to have. In fact, they will never live, only barely and painfully survive, for a very short time.
 
You might think it impossible to be ignorant to such systematic cruelty, yet, the majority of people is. As a matter of fact, dutch professors have a name for this phenomenon – „Pluralistic Ignorance:“ In principle, consumers as well as some producers disapprove of these conditions, but find an excuse in the fact that nobody takes steps against it. So why should they themselves do so? If it actually were that unacceptable, the government would step in, wouldn’t it? Politicians, on the other hand, interpret people’s idleness as their approval of the situation. Everybody thinks it okay, because nobody takes action. Many people say it’s wrong, but few people actually stop buying these products and therefore maintain the demand which will make factory-farmers continuously produce more and more meat, eggs and milk.
 
Animal rights activists have found hope in (fairly) recent discoveries of scientists, who have found proof that „humans are not the only conscious beings; other animals, specifically mammals and birds, are indeed conscious, too“ (Michael Mountain). Naturally, this isn’t something that you haven’t known or at least suspected before. Any pet owner will confirm this fact. Pigs, cows and chickens are – just like your dog or cat or you yourself – self-conscious individuals with feelings. They can feel love, happiness, loneliness, fear and pain. Every day, over 56 billion of these individuals are bred, tortured and killed, only to be eaten by us or in many cases simply thrown away, because they were produced in abundance. This announcement, however, has been made in 2012 and obviously, despite the growing popularity of vegetarianism and veganism, the meat industry is still growing.
 
Next time you find meat on your plate, I encourage you to think about who you are eating. Who lived a miserable live and died a miserable death for you to enjoy this meal?
 
Pigs are highly intelligent and curious animals, who love playing, lying in the sun and exploring their surroundings using their keen sense of smell. They enjoy engaging in complex tasks and form elaborate, cooperative social groups. Chickens are just as intelligent as cats, dogs and even some primates. Being very social, they like to spend their days in groups, scratching for food, bathing in dust and enjoying good weather like any of us. Cows, like all animals, form strong maternal bonds with their calves and suffer terribly at the loss of them. Several days after the separation one can still hear them crying out for them. They are social in ways like dogs are and form relationships the way dogs form packs. Cows are curious and clever gentle giants. They deserve to be respected and treated well, just like any human does. Only, they don’t have the means of fighting for their rights. They can’t protest, or even object. They are completely at our mercy.
 
I know it is too much to ask everybody to switch to vegetarianism or veganism, even though that would be just fantastic. If you cannot live without meat, though, there are at least a few small things which you can do to reduce the suffering of these lovable creatures. There are still many „old-fashioned“ farms out there, where the animals actually get to live normal and appropriate lives while producing milk or eggs and before being slaughtered. Where the animals are acknowledged and treated like living beings, not like commodity. The products will cost more than those from the discounter, but it is important to support these farms. There are less and less small farms and more and bigger factory-farms every year. It is known that, for several reasons, eating meat only once a week holds many health benefits. In the end, the price difference between eating cheap meat every day and eating expensive meat once a week is almost non-existent. The difference in how the meat was produced, however, is enormous.
 
Remember, it is not about what is or is not on your plate, but about who.
 
 
(written by Johanna Schmidt)
 
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