Farmers Speak. Is Anyone Listening?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Clif Bar & Company for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you visited an organic farm? Do you buy organic foods?

I feel like I might engage myself a little more than the average person with regards to food. I’m all about the food. You probably are too. I mean, who else reads food blogs and nutrition journals for fun? I’m comforted knowing that I take an active role in understanding what I’m eating.

Yet, it wasn’t until I watched this video from Clif Bar & Company titled Farmers Speak – Giving Voice to Organic Oats, that it really made me think about organic farming.

I buy essentially all my produce organic, but I’ve also read skeptical books with regards to how much better it really is versus conventional farming. Check out New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter’s book Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives.

I am a very skeptical person by nature and I’d much rather play myself against my inner devil’s advocate than blindly follow the masses. Good grief, I mean I’m vegan for heaven’s sake! Swimming against the current pretty strongly on that one.

The information is out there. Sometimes it’s hard to find, but usually the hardest part is just looking. Take the monestrous and cruel conditions perpetrated against farm animals for example. Not to mention the heart-wrenching destruction of our planet due to said farming practices. I know many truly good people who tell me that they know about all this…but they choose not to open their eyes because they don’t want to face the truth. 

“People wrap themselves in their beliefs. And they do it in such a way that you can’t set them free. Not even the truth will set them free. ”
— Michael Specter

When I watched this video about a Canadian oat farmer, Brian Krumm, discussing how when he was a kid on the family farm, his dad used conventional chemicals like grasshopper poison and all the songbirds left. They lost their songbirds for over 10 years. When the farm turned organic, they slowly started coming back. Now they have “lots of bugs and all the good things in life.” And his beautiful song birds are back.

“There seems to be a huge push for people to eat healthier, and I’ve noticed oats are starting to take the spotlight. That makes me quite proud. ”
— Brian Krumm, CLIF Bar®, Oat Farmer

His old barn that used to house cattle under previous generations is now home to an old barn owl. I’m down with that. Cattle farm turned organic oat farm is a win in my book and it made me literally smile. Hey, those Subaru commercials make me tear-up too…have you seen those? My god, talk about a bleeding heart over here.

Anyways, this is a great video that really puts a face on organic farming. It seems like such an abstract thing. Sometimes it can be difficult to really see the positives, in an everyday sense. Like Brian says, “I’m not saying it’s for everybody, but it’s sure worked well for us. Yeah, I’d never go back to the conventional way of farming, ever.”

It really made me think about buying more organic products, outside of my organic produce CSA box. Packaged products, like bread, vegan butter, etc. Or better yet, make your own bread. I’m working on a new, everyday bread recipe so stay tuned for that! I’m very excited. Using organic flour, nonetheless!

Clif Bar & Company uses all organic oats in their bars. And the best part is that the vast majority of all their products are 100% vegan. Everything is on the table, excluding:

  • CLIF® Builders’ MAX Bars (the regular Builder's Bars are all okay)

  • CLIF SHOT® Protein Recovery Drink Mixes
  • Luna Protein Bars (all others are okay, just not the protein ones)
  • MOJO Sweet & Salty Honey Roasted Peanut and Chocolate Peanut flavor does contain honey, but no other animal derived ingredients.

That is awesome! For a complete allergen table, check it out here. Who knows, maybe we can persuade them to use more soy protein instead of whey in their MAX line?

Todd and I buy CLIF® & Luna® Bars for traveling and our outdoor, Alaskan adventures. It can be hard to find quality, vegan food items that are perfect for backpacking (or traveling out of Alaska, where we literally have to fly across another country the size of the U.S....to get to the U.S…it’s Canada.) It’s super easy to remember the short list of exceptions to their wondrous vegan array.  

So, let’s hear it. Do you buy all organic, some, or none? I fall into the some (most) category, but I might try to increase that a bit now.

For more information regarding Clif Bar & Company, take a look at these links below:

Thank you for supporting the companies that help support Produce On Parade!

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. I WAS PAID TO WRITE THIS POST, HOWEVER, I AM A BIG FAN OF THESE PRODUCTS AND USE THEM IN MY EVERYDAY LIFE. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.

Tahini Edamame Burger

“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Todd and I had a wonderful time last weekend visiting family that was up from the states. It's always such a pleasure to have little kids around. I don't have any nieces or nephews, and rarely get to interact with children or babies...unless I am doing their radiology exam, which, is not so fun for either me or the child. Super sick children = super sad face. 

One of my cousins and her two little girls were up and as you can see we were greeted by a most darling little one who very formally welcomed us to "The Game Party". Where we of course played games together and ate lunch, as you can see below. 

This little munchkin is my particularly favorite munchkin in the entire world. She was also our flower girl and is one of the most exceptionally well-mannered persons (young or old) I've ever met. When asked if she was excited at the prospect of "throwing the flower petals" at our wedding, she responded that she would not throw them but infact "lightly toss them", no joke. She was like, four years old at the time. I'm absolutely confident that at that age I was picking my nose and playing naked in the dirt under the porch, painting rocks and making mud cakes. 

Produce On Parade
Produce On Parade

Below, for your viewing pleasure, is THE most adorable photo of Todd and his enchanting little playpal. She's so cute I can hardly stand it!

Produce On Parade

OMG, look at that face. Just look! Hehehe. That is the face of utter delight.

Produce On Parade

Interestingly, that was also my face when I ate these burgers I made a few days ago. These are the fruition of an abundance of edamame that I purchased, trying to pump my wee body full of iron. 

Produce On Parade - Tahini Edamame Burger

This is a flavorful veggie burger with fresh edamame and greens, rolled oats, tender sweet potato, and creamy tahini for a unique dish. I love to freeze the leftovers for a quick and effortless meal.

Produce On Parade - Tahini Edamame Burger
Produce On Parade - Tahini Edamame Burger
Produce On Parade - Tahini Edamame Burger
Produce On Parade - Tahini Edamame Burger
Produce On Parade - Tahini Edamame Burger
print recipe
Tahini Edamame Burger
by July-3-2014
A flavorful veggie burger with fresh edamame and greens, rolled oats, tender sweet potato, and creamy tahini for a unique dish.
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, rough chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, whole
  • 1 small sweet potato, rough chopped
  • 2 cups fresh edamame, shelled and steamed in the microwave
  • 6 cups packed mixed greens (spinach, baby kale), torn
  • 1 heaping cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup liquid amino acids or soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. fresh chili paste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large rimmed frying pan over medium. In a food processor, pulse the onion and garlic until finely diced. Add the mixture to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes.Meanwhile, pulse the sweet potato in the food processor until finely diced. Add to the frying pan.Pulse the shelled edamame in the processor until finely diced. Add to the frying pan. Saute the vegetable mixture for about 10-15 minutes, over medium-high heat, until all the water is evaporated and the sweet potato is tender. You want the mixture to start sticking to the bottom. Now, pulse the oats in the food processor until roughly ground. Add to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Stir into the vegetable mixture until very well combined and remove from heat. Heat a cast iron skillet with a dash of olive oil over medium-high heat. Form 1/4 cup of the burger mixture into a patty and brown on each side for a couple minutes. Repeat with remaining burger mixture.Serve hot. I like mine with BBQ sauce! Freeze any remaining patties for use later.
Details
Yield: 12 Burgers
Produce On Parade - Tahini Edamame Burger

German Word of The Day

Veggie Burger --> Gemüseburger (geh-museah-burgah)

Good Deed of The Day

How many wolves died for your beef hamburger? Find out in this article from The Huffington Post. Animal agriculture fosters brutality and death against more than just the cattle victims. The more you know...