Cheese

Plate #1 at Gottlob. There is no shortage of brunch places in Berlin. I’m an early riser, and am always starving a soon as I wake up, so brunch for me looks a lot more like lunch. However, one Sunday, I decided to check out the buffet at Gottlob, a popular joint in the Schöneberg neighborhood in West Berlin. Lucky for my friend and me, the sun was shining that day, and we arrived at Gottlob in our spring finery—her in white linen, me in a taffeta bubble skirt. Lilacs bloomed everywhere. Seeing how grey Berlin is most of the time, it was a day to be savored. We dug in with gusto. The buffet, horribly configured, was jammed up into a corner. There was one narrow passageway that served as both the entrance and exit to the roasted vegetables, breads, cured meats, cheeses, and milchreis, so the scene was like something out of a crowded Whole Foods parking lot. I zipped through the table, and came out with samples of nearly everything—smoked salmon, crunchy arancini, flaky phyllo pastry stuffed with fresh cheese and sweet potatoes, chicken and swiss chard in curry sauce, cannellini beans, sausages, pan-fried white fish (unidentifiable). My friend enjoyed heaps of roasted artichokes and eggplants. There were cured meats, hams, some salads, several types of puddings, and muesli as well. Far too much for one Miss Cheesemonger to fit on one plate. So I had two, and they were both glorious. On top of that, my friend had been raving for a week about their croissants, so I piled a couple of those in as well. We rolled on out of there as happy as two Berlin bears who have discovered a pot of honey, or in this case, a brunch buffet.

From Daniel McAdams, writing for the Ron Paul Institute blog: Vernon Herschberger and family. Photo via Complete Patient blog. Click image to go there. “The trial of Vernon Hershberger for the crime of selling healthy, unprocessed milk to informed and willing customers is sadly a damning commentary on the times in which we currently live. This humble yet learned Amish farmer faces the ruin of his farm, his family, and jail time in a trial that highlights the utter depravity of the so-called authorities who claim the right to rule over the rest of us. Over and over thugs raided the peaceful Hershberger’s farm, destroying his property and terrorizing his ten children. His crime was selling a product that has been consumed from time immemorial and which thousands upon thousands of families (including this writer’s) increasingly swear by as healthful and wholesome: unprocessed, fresh milk. Hershberger was caught up in a hell of Kafka’s worst nightmare: “The state is arguing that Hershberger violated the law by selling milk (raw) while he was not licensed. But here’s the problem: licensing requires that milk producers sell to a licensed processing plant. If you don’t sell to a plant, you aren’t licensed. At issue is not the fact that Hershberger failed to obtain a license, but that he cannot get a license, period, to sell milk because he was no longer shipping to a plant. Instead, he was attempting to sell raw milk directly to buyers or buying club ‘members’ who had purchased shares in cows. But no one is allowed to say that.” His trial is a repulsive, Darkness at Noon, mockery of justice, where the judge forbade the words “raw milk” from even being uttered in the courtroom where the very “crime” is that Hershberger sold raw milk to willing customers! Every time this forbidden phrase was about to come out of the mouth of either side in the trial, the judge ordered the jury to be quickly removed from the courtroom to protect them from even hearing this dangerous term. California raw milk entrepreneur and activist Mark McAfee was forbidden from entering the courtroom due to a mere suggestion of the banned term: “McAfee was not allowed to wear his organic pastures t shirt in the courtroom because of its reference to raw milk.” A woman wearing a t-shirt that read “Got Initiative” was likewise banned because of the milk implication of her chosen attire. A teen-aged girl was forced by the court to remove a button that simply said “Raw Milk Me.” Hershberger’s children were forced to listen to the dedicated father that they no-doubt idolized being portrayed as a dangerous criminal for selling unadulterated, natural, healthy, chemical-free meat and dairy products to grateful customers…..” “The food freedom movement is rapidly becoming the most fundamental issue of our time, as there can be no more central issue than the state demanding to approve the very sustenance with which we chose to nourish ourselves. Cannabis decriminalization, wiretapping, IRS thuggery, and other issues are indeed important to the struggle for individual liberty. But if we surrender to the state the authority to dictate what we are allowed to feed ourselves and our families then little else matters afterward.” Updates on the close of the trial Dana Schultz on FB: “Wisconsin Amish farmer Vernon Hershberger’s criminal trial in Baraboo is now with the jury as they deliberate their verdict. Closing arguments by the defense were meaningful and cut to the heart of the matter: an innocent farmer, too much government control & who will be next – will it be your refrigerator?” Vernon surrounded by family during a 10 minute recess before closing arguments. Still feeling great! Photo and caption – Liz Reitzig

Ing. Guillermo Silva (Hidalgo) - maestro de quesería de leche de vaca. #quesomexicano

Each dish has its own stand devoted to ingredients and accoutrements. Maybe it’s the San Francisco entrepreneurial spirit in me, but I love discovering innovative projects, no matter the industry. My Berlin host suggested we cook dinner one night, and told me about a place called the Koch Haus, where people can come in, choose a menu they would like to prepare, and buy exactly what they need for those dishes for exactly the number of people they need (well, they can choose between 2, 4, or 6 people). It’s like curated grocery shopping—semi-DIY, half-homemade, if you will. I can see how this concept could appeal to single folks who don’t want leftovers and people who don’t have the time or energy to plan meals on their own, but who still want to take ownership of the kitchen and cook some special meals for themselves. I think it’s this emotional satisfaction and feeling of ownership that drives Koch Haus’s success. Apparently, it’s doing quite well in Berlin and other German cities. A tasty, if not lopsided, galette. You can also stock up on spices, salts, and kitchen supplies while you’re at it. Nifty nifty! We stepped inside and took a brief tour to examine our options. Appetizers that day included fennel salad with dates, grapefruit, and halloumi cheese; a gratin with honey and goat cheese rhubarb confit; and cream of asparagus soup with baby chard and roasted asparagus in pancetta. Main meals included choices such as: ginger duck with rice noodles and peanut-apricot chutney; sage and rosemary-crusted pork with strawberry salsa and rocket salad; and roasted salmon filet on kohlrabi with cherry tomatoes and chive beurre blanc. There were also quite a few dessert options. We settled on savory galettes with walnut, cheese, and mushroom stuffing on a bed of spinach. The recipe card prescribed 15 button mushrooms, two shallots, 50g of taleggio (which we later supplemented with my Gruyère stash), etc. . . . just enough for two servings. We grabbed the recommended bottle of wine, some ice cream, and voilà. Shopping complete, it was time to hit the kitchen. The recipe card was easy enough to follow, although I don’t think it was an easy recipe—if we had never made a roux before, or French galettes, we might have had a hard time. Luckily, it worked out! And I would even say the meal was a success. After an hour in the kitchen, my friend and I were treated to a delicious dinner, complete with great wine and good company. Will we see something like this pop up in San Francisco or other American cities? Has it already happened?

David E. Gumpert posted this snippet yesterday on Facebook: Defense testimony from one of Vernon Hershberger’s buying club members since 2004, Joseph Plasterer, as to how he came to seek out farm’s food. Plasterer: “We were looking for some natural milk sources, in early 2004.” Defense lawyer: Did you come and meet the Hershbergers? Plasterer: “Yes. We asked if we could be part of the farm… Defense: Did you have a reason? Plasterer: “My son was not thriving…” Prosecution: “Objection!” Judge Guy Reynolds: “Sustained” Plasterer: “We wanted access to unproc food that was higher qual that would not be available from the stores.” Prosecution: “Objection!’” Judge Reynolds: “Sustained. Strike the answer. The jury is to ignore that.” And an overview of the case from Mercola.com: “Farmer Faces Jail Time over Raw Milk Sales As you’re probably aware of by now, there’s a war being waged against raw milk. While raw milk sales or distribution are legal in many US states, and progress has been made toward improving access, there’s strong opposition to this trend. Each victory is hard-won. Our federal health agencies claim to be protecting us from this ‘dangerous’ product.   As you walk down the aisles of junk food at your local grocery store, pass by the liquor section, and watch individuals buying cartons of cigarettes – you have to wonder is this really about our personal safety or the safety of the milk industry. Criminal trials centering around raw milk are scheduled to take place in both Minnesota and Wisconsin this year, and a new bill threatens to make herdshare illegal in North Dakota1. (A herdshare is a private agreement between a farmer and an individual in which the farmer is paid to take care of an animal, cow for example, that belongs to one or more people. You essentially pay a onetime purchase fee to “buy a share” of a farmer’s herd, which entitles you to the benefits of owning that cow, such as a certain amount of milk each week.) On May 20, the trial of Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger began at the Sauk County Courthouse. Hershberger is charged with four criminal misdemeanors that could result in a jail sentence of up to 30 months, along with fines totaling more than $10,000. As previously reported, Hershberger’s farm was targeted by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) for supplying a private buying club with raw milk and other fresh produce. It’s important to realize that there’s much more at stake than what meets the eye here. As stated in the featured article by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund2: “DATCP has charged Hershberger with, among other things, operating a retail food establishment without a license. Hershberger repeatedly rejects this, citing that he provides foods only to paid members in a private buying club and is not subject to state food regulations. “There is more at stake here than just a farmer and his few customers,” says Hershberger, “this is about the fundamental right of farmers and consumers to engage in peaceful, private, mutually consenting agreements for food, without additional oversight. … “Hershberger, and other farmers around the country, are facing state or federal charges against them for providing fresh foods to wanting individuals. In recent months the FDA has conducted several long undercover sting operations and raids against peaceful farmers and buying clubs that have resulted in farms shutting down and consumers without access to the food they depend on.” Each day, following the day’s hearings, which began on May 20 and is expected to go on for about a month, supporters are scheduled to gather at the Al Ringling Theater across the street from the Sauk County Courthouse where leaders in the food rights movement will hold live presentations and lectures. Scheduled speakers include V

Queridos @LENOMpb @EGastronomicos - ya conocen la propuesta de la @RepGastro - estaremos en el @CorredorCRC -

[Kelley's Note: We are joined again by Kirsten for this review of the uniquely UK phenomenon that is McDonald's Tastes of America. Check out her review of Week 2's burger here. As with before, I will be adding some tidbits from an American's point of view. Enjoy!] So, here we are at the third week of McDonald’s UK’s Tastes Of America. This week is the Arizona Nacho Grande. Big nachos? I’ve had a few. Huh. Actually, I’ve not had ANY in Arizona. Maybe next time, eh? Time to fess up – I don’t really know Spanish. If we were talking coffee language, grande would mean medium, but through the generic way we all absorb media and television, I can make a good guess at what they’re getting at. There is a place in AZ called Casa Grande, I know that. Maybe they thought it was a cute play on it- you know, pick somewhere off a map? No? No? Okay, we’ll stick with the Spanish thing. Or well, Mexican thing I guess. [Kelley's Note: Poor Kirsten. Having lived in the southwest (or South-West) all my life, my mind baffles at the idea that someone would not know that grande means “large” in Spanish. Then again, I had to have Kirsten explain the definition of “quid” to me just a few days ago, so I guess we're even.] AZ is South-West. In the UK, South-West is Cornwall, where the Cornish Pasty comes from. It was invented for miners. Why is there no pasty in Minecraft? I had a pasty in Phoenix, AZ once. That was pretty unexpected. All the way over there, 3 billion miles, just to sit in a desert eating foods from my homeland? Bah! An Arizonan sure wouldn’t have that eating the Arizona Nacho Grande. Now I regret not being in Cornwall to eat one, that’d show them. That’d show you all, HAH! Ahem. Had I not holidayed in Arizona the last two years, I’d have been hard-pressed to guess at the cuisine of the State. As is, ‘TexMex’ is insulting because AZ is not Texas, but still conjures up that shared love of meat, spicy food, and Mexican flavours. Arizona was where I first discovered pulled pork. I haven’t been the same since. I came back 2 months later hoping for more (and also to attend a wedding [the wedding of the pulled pork dealer]). Had my first taste of Arizona been this burger, I’d have no idea what I could even have begun to expect. From McDonald’s: “Treat yourself to the taste of Arizona. 100% beef patty topped with nacho-style sauce, shredded lettuce, pepperoni, crunchy nacho chips and cheese with peppers, all in a sesame topped bun.” [Kelley's Note: I feel like I can chime in here with some authority, having lived in Arizona for about ten years now. I find this burger most adorable. “Nacho-style sauce” fills me with doubts. I guess the chips make sense. But you know what I like most on my nachos? Pepperoni. Nothing says Arizona and nachos like pepperoni. Forget jalapeños, or poblano chiles...pepperoni is pure Arizona.] As I predicted, we’re talking about the same dimensions and ratio of patty to bun as the Chicago Supreme. Big patties. The Nacho Grande just has a plain old, no-nonsense sesame topping on the split top. No messing around there. It keeps its fancy secrets on the inside, keeping things closer to it’s chest. Looking inside, there was no way to differentiate between the ‘nacho sauce’ and the peppered cheese. And that’s the bell pepper kind, not the cracked black stuff. Just a mountain of cheesy goo. I dug in. I can’t imagine anything finer will ever be created at McDonald’s. Taking a big bite, you get that soft, perfect beef patty, chewy tangy pepperoni, the crunch of the nacho chips, the gooey cheese and the subtly palate-refreshing shredded lettuce. It’s a mouthful of sheer flavour and texture. The ingredients on their own are a little ordinary (I would consider the nacho tasted stale outside of the ensemble) but in combination they have created something that means I will leave a tiny of

Like a hand-sized pearl–laugenbrötchen. Hello from San Francisco, readers! I am back from this portion of my European travels, but there was still a few more Germany blog posts. Here’s one. In Germany, I was willing to try anything twice, and usually, twice was enough. That included the flattened, breaded, and fried ecstasy known as schnitzel. Even one of my favorite dishes of all time, blood sausage, only made it to my plate twice. The one exception was laugenbrötchen and laugenbrezel, or traditional pretzels. There’s something magical about that lye coating, which creates the characteristic deep walnut-colored surface and light sheen. The airy, slightly chewy dough inside is the perfect complement to that slightly crackly crust. Laugenbrezel lightly dotted with large grains of salt are ubiquitous in Germany. You can find them on street corners, in subway stations, and even at the opera during intermissions. Everyone—from tousle-haired students sitting on grimy sidewalks to businessmen swathed in Jil Sander suits—loves them. The twisted arms of the laugenbrezel bring people of all walks of life together in one giant, salty, pillowy, doughy embrace. The laugenbrötchen very quickly turned into my S-bahn ritual. There was one maker near my local S-bahn station I loved, so whenever I had to hop across Berlin, I built in an extra 5 minutes into my trip to get that my dose. It was always worth it.

A: Introduced and compiled by Raoul Bedi, BASc: . In my May 1, 2013 two part article, on the work of Vandana Shiva and major milestones achieved in the overall anti-GMO  movement, that was published exclusively in The Bovine, and that has since gone viral across North America, I acknowledged some of the major food security activists and anti-GMO activists of our time. Of course such an acknowledgement is cursory and can in no way come near to acknowledging all  the sleepless efforts of millions of people, non-profit organizations, farmers and companies to identify and ultimately rid of the planet of the menace of genetically-modified seed and the patenting of life forms. I also specifically mentioned a few distinguished and pioneering Food Security activists on the West Coast of Canada and today I would like to share some of the creativity of two more tireless anti-GMO food security activists and educators: Dr. Thierry Vrain and Tony Mitra ( www.tonu.org). Tony Mitra is a tireless podcaster, videographer, photographer and blogger, who like a bloodhound on its trail, endlessly seeks positive, real life,  inspirational examples and expressions of anti-GMO and Food Security activism . Former Canadian GMO Scientist Dr.Thierry Vrain Speaks Out in Two Open Letters On The Real Dangers of Genetically Engineered Food Dr. Thierry Vrain, is a former research scientist for Agriculture Canada who is now promoting awareness about the dangers of genetically modified foods. He was recently called upon by the Anti-GMO activist community in BC to issue a rebuttal to an infomercial on the benefits of GMO’s that the Vancouver Sun published, in its print and online edition,  on behalf of Croplife, a partner of Monsanto. What was interesting was that the Vancouver Sun Editor initially refused to publish hundreds of other comments from anti-GMO activists because their statements were not “peer-reviewed” and represented “hearsay” yet Croplife did not backup a single one of its numerous claims in its original article. Finally, he relented and permitted Dr. Thierry Vrain to publish an Apr.29 rebuttal  on behalf of all of us as he felt only he was sufficiently “credentialed” to offer up an opinion. Dr. Vrain has graciously announced that he would like his rebuttal to be published as widely as possible and therefore gives full permission for anyone to share it anywhere. Since then these 2 open letters have gone viral and have been published in dozens of major Food Security blogs such as www.foodrevolution.org  and hundreds of Facebook pages. Part 4 – Dr. Thierry Vrain interviewed by BC Food Security activist Tony Mitra (www.tonu.org) Parts 1 to 3 of this video series cover a colourful general tour of the thriving herbal sanctuary of Innisfree farm in Courtenay, BC. In Part 4, Dr. Vrain discusses the  faulty assumptions of the biotech industry about how genes work, and how dangerous the consequences of that faulty science are proving to be.In the Part 5 video, Dr. Thierry Vrain further elaborates on the bad science behind the GMO technology on one side, and the absence of third party independent testing of the GMO products to assess health risks on the other. Dr. Vrain on his farm (middle) with Tony Mitra (right) and Peggy (left). From Tony Mitra’s blog. B: Open Letter One by Dr.Thierry Vrain “I retired 10 years ago after a long career as a research scientist for Agriculture Canada. When I was on the payroll, I was the designated scientist of my institute to address public groups and reassure them that genetically engineered crops and foods were safe. There is, however, a growing body of scientific research – done mostly in Europe, Russia, and other countries – showing that diets containing engineered corn or soya cause serious health problems in laboratory mice and rats. I don’t know if I was passionate about it but I was knowledgeable. I defended the side of technological advance, of science and progress. I have in

A: Introduced and compiled by Raoul Bedi, BASc: . In my May 1, 2013 two part article, on the work of Vandana Shiva and major milestones achieved in the overall anti-GMO  movement, that was published exclusively in The Bovine, and that has since gone viral across North America, I acknowledged some of the major food security activists and anti-GMO activists of our time. Of course such an acknowledgement is cursory and can in no way come near to acknowledging all  the sleepless efforts of millions of people, non-profit organizations, farmers and companies to identify and ultimately rid of the planet of the menace of genetically-modified seed and the patenting of life forms. I also specifically mentioned a few distinguished and pioneering Food Security activists on the West Coast of Canada and today I would like to share some of the creativity of two more tireless anti-GMO food security activists and educators: Dr. Thierry Vrain and Tony Mitra ( www.tonu.org). Tony Mitra is a tireless podcaster, videographer, photographer and blogger, who like a bloodhound on its trail, endlessly seeks positive, real life,  inspirational examples and expressions of anti-GMO and Food Security activism . Former Canadian GMO Scientist Dr.Thierry Vrain Speaks Out in Two Open Letters On The Real Dangers of Genetically Engineered Food Dr. Thierry Vrain, is a former research scientist for Agriculture Canada who is now promoting awareness about the dangers of genetically modified foods. He was recently called upon by the Anti-GMO activist community in BC to issue a rebuttal to an infomercial on the benefits of GMO’s that the Vancouver Sun published, in its print and online edition,  on behalf of Croplife, a partner of Monsanto. What was interesting was that the Vancouver Sun Editor initially refused to publish hundreds of other comments from anti-GMO activists because their statements were not “peer-reviewed” and represented “hearsay” yet Croplife did not backup a single one of its numerous claims in its original article. Finally, he relented and permitted Dr. Thierry Vrain to publish an Apr.29 rebuttal  on behalf of all of us as he felt only he was sufficiently “credentialed” to offer up an opinion. Dr. Vrain has graciously announced that he would like his rebuttal to be published as widely as possible and therefore gives full permission for anyone to share it anywhere. Since then these 2 open letters have gone viral and have been published in dozens of major Food Security blogs such as www.foodrevolution.org  and hundreds of Facebook pages. Part 4 – Dr. Thierry Vrain interviewed by BC Food Security activist Tony Mitra (www.tonu.org) Parts 1 to 3 of this video series cover a colourful general tour of the thriving herbal sanctuary of Innisfree farm in Courtenay, BC. In Part 4, Dr. Vrain discusses the  faulty assumptions of the biotech industry about how genes work, and how dangerous the consequences of that faulty science are proving to be.In the Part 5 video, Dr. Thierry Vrain further elaborates on the bad science behind the GMO technology on one side, and the absence of third party independent testing of the GMO products to assess health risks on the other. Dr. Vrain on his farm (middle) with Tony Mitra (right) and Peggy (left). From Tony Mitra’s blog. B: Open Letter One by Dr.Thierry Vrain “I retired 10 years ago after a long career as a research scientist for Agriculture Canada. When I was on the payroll, I was the designated scientist of my institute to address public groups and reassure them that genetically engineered crops and foods were safe. There is, however, a growing body of scientific research – done mostly in Europe, Russia, and other countries – showing that diets containing engineered corn or soya cause serious health problems in laboratory mice and rats. I don’t know if I was passionate about it but I was knowledgeable. I defended the side of technological advance, of science and progress. I have in