Here’s all the “moos” that’s fit to print
September 2005

In this issue:

• From the President’s Pasture— It's Organic Harvest Month
• Organic News at a Glance
• Organic Dairy Farming Comes to Manhattan
• Support Organic Farming and Food, Win a Chance to Dine with Sting (Yes, that Sting)
• Are You Good2Go? New Exercise and Breakfast Downloadables
• Recipes: Falling for apples
  • Turkey Waldorf Salad
  • Maple Nut Muffins with Apples
    

Gary Hirshberg The President's Pasture - Organic Harvest Month September is the month we celebrate the bounty of an organic harvest and recognize how organic agriculture sustains us. We don’t just prefer organic food, we believe it’s better for people and the planet. It helps farmers, by providing them with fair prices and the ability to stay in business. It helps consumers, with better-tasting, more down-to-earth products. It helps the planet by limiting toxic and persistent pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers and potentially reducing global warming. How, you may wonder, could growing an organic carrot or raising dairy cows organically really affect global warming? Organic agricultural practices use far less fossil fuel than “conventional” agricultural techniques, decreasing greenhouse gas production, the prime culprit in global warming. Organic growing techniques also lock more carbon into the soil rather than releasing it into the atmosphere, as happens in conventional agriculture. Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions have always been important, but as our nation faces its current crisis and an energy crunch, it’s become critical. For now, take a small step. The Organic Trade Association has a list of events celebrating Organic Harvest Month.

Organic News at a Glance
A federally funded study of a small sampling of children showed a "dramatic and immediate" response after the children ate organic food exclusively for a short period of time. Pesticide residues in their bodies were undetectable after just five days. The findings suggest that children are exposed to chemicals mainly through food, not through spraying in homes or other sources. (The health effects of pesticide residues in children are as yet unknown.)

Why organic production can cost more
Organic food—produce, dairy products, or meat—can cost more to produce than “conventional” food because it can be more labor intensive, can result in more incidences of crop loss, may limit a farmer's ability to produce high-value “cash crops”, requires significantly more expensive feed for the animals, and demand for it is greater than supply, according to a recent Associated Press article.

Time for the harvest: Visit a Farmer's Market near you
The United States Department of Agriculture maintains this database http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm of farmer's markets by state. Eat locally grown food. You'll often find organic producers at these farmer's markets.

Support Organic Farming and Food, Win a Chance to Dine with Sting (Yes, that Sting)
You could win a chance to attend a private concert and dinner with Sting. Enter the Stonyfield Farm Sweepstakes by October 20, 2005 and you could be heading to the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City for this November 3 private event. The organic dinner is a fundraiser to support The Soil Association which has worked throughout the United Kingdom since 1946 to raise awareness of organic food and farming. Rocker Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, have been long–time supporters of organic agriculture. Winners will be chosen by random computer drawing on Oct. 21.

Organic Dairy Farming Drops in on Manhattan
In our blog, The Bovine Bugle , organic dairy farmer Jonathan Gates, of Franklin , Vermont writes about his daily life running the farm and working alongside his wife, three children, and his parents. He also occasionally sends us movies. Readers of The Bovine Bugle can subscribe, just like readers of this Moos from the Farm , and Jonathan's entries (2 or 3 times a week) will come directly to your email inbox. Here's a note we recently received from one subscriber:

I love to read about your farm as I am sitting on the 47th floor of my Midtown Manhattan office building. It gives me a little break in the day and reminds me that there is more to life than spreadsheets and Starbucks! Thank you for taking the time to share your interesting life…--- Cynthia

Good2Go fuels your morning with exercise and a healthy breakfast
Our expanded Good2Go program is now downloadable. To help kids—and adults—get some exercise and eat a healthy breakfast, we've developed exercise routines and suggested recipes to kick start the day. The children's package is designed for use in schools and gives teachers and other leaders pointers on Good2Go Get-Moving Activities . With more and more students arriving at school before the first bell, we wanted to offer suggestions on how to get them moving before class. Good2Go Get Moving Activities for adults features suggested at-home exercise routines that can be lengthened or shortened as needed, and offers tips on fitting exercise into busy days.

Just by checking out our program, you're eligible to enter our drawing to win FREE Stonyfield Farm yogurt for a whole year! Ten winners will be chosen at random on Friday, December 16, 2005. Each winner will receive 365 coupons (with a December 31, 2006 expiration date) to purchase 365 6-ounce cups of yogurt throughout the year.

Falling for apples: Use yogurt in these healthy recipes

Turkey Waldorf Salad
Waldorf Salad was created at New York 's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the 1896, not by a chef but by the maître d'hôtel Oscar Tschirky. The original version of this salad contained only apples, celery and mayonnaise.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3 cups roasted turkey meat, cubed
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 grapefruit
1 firm but ripe Bosc pear, peeled, cored, diced
1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, diced
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare the dressing by mixing mayonnaise, yogurt, orange juice, orange peel, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. (Dressing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Using small sharp knife, cut off peel and white pith from grapefruit. Cut between membranes to release grapefruit segments. Cut segments in half. Place in bowl with chopped lettuce, turkey meat, diced pear, diced apple, halved grapes and chopped dates. Add dressing to salad and toss to coat. Transfer salad to leaf-lined bowl. Sprinkle salad with pine nuts and serve.

Yields: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 320; Calories from Fat 130; Total Fat 14g; Cholesterol 65mg; Total Carbohydrate 28g; Protein 22g; Calcium 8% RDA, Fiber 4g

Maple Nut Muffins with Apples

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup apples, coarsely grated
2/3 cup maple syrup (we use grade B)
1/2 cup plain Stonyfield Farm Fat Free Yogurt
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp oil

Directions:
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nuts. In another bowl, combine oats, apple, maple syrup, yogurt, egg and oil. Stir liquid ingredients into flour mixture until just combined; do not over-mix. Spoon batter into 12 large paper lined muffin cups. Bake in a 400-degree pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until tops are springy to the touch. Let muffins cool on wire rack.

Yields: 12 muffins.

You can find more than 500 recipes using yogurt on our website.

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