tikidoc

Not so sure on the "people are not sickening and dying" part, although not in the sense that you mean. Obesity and obesity related diseases such as type II diabetes are becoming more and more prevalent. The American diet, loaded with highly processed grains and sugars, is a major reason for this.

Elizabeth... (Applause) Jess

Beautiful! I am so looking forward to learning from you in a couple weeks!

Yea, I made some killer cajeta last year. Yummy stuff but it takes quite a while to reduce. We should have enough milk to skim some cream, so I might try a basic caramel with that.

I would assume we could do the same thing people selling meat and cheese do, bring a cooler and keep the chocolate in moisture proof containers. When I lived in TN, there was someone who sold lovely chocolates at the farmer's market and that's what she did. They may also make some other things like a couple baked goods, and they each have space for their own gardens if they want to grow stuff too. It would be nice to be able to keep the candies out and visible but it's a small community. Word spreads fast if something at the market is good, and having a couple cute kids selling tends to make people give things a try. I'm currently trying to let them come up with their own ideas. I'll contribute the initial supplies (to be replaced with profits) and hardware, and I'll do anything that involves hot sugar. But they will need to learn how to make things under supervision and they will be managing the money (also supervised).

Ugh, tell me about it. My first try with molds over the weekend resulted in virtually all the color (made from cocoa butter and powder) left in the mold. On a brighter note, the areas I didn't put color were really shiny, and the ones with just a little luster dust looked pretty much OK. Didn't I read that new molds can stick? Yea, that's my excuse! Flavor was OK (filled with a dark ganache with a little Chambord) but nothing mind blowing, but my kids and friends from work happily got rid of them for me. I think the apple caramels are a heck of a lot better, and I'm not even a huge caramel fan. Looking forward to learning how to make this stuff look nicer. My kids want to sell chocolates/candies at the farmers' market this summer, and I think it's a great way to teach them about managing money and having a good work ethic. Jess

So, I am lucky enough to be attending the candy conference in a couple weeks. I have been looking at everyone's gorgeous pictures of fancy chocolates with more than a little trepidation about Friday evening, when we share our creations. Yea, I know, nobody is judging us, don't worry about it, blah, blah, blah. But I still don't want to show up with something TOO amateurish or unoriginal. So, I did some experimenting last night and came up with a caramel that tastes just. like. apple. pie. It's not beautiful, but I can dress it up with a quick dip in dark chocolate. But at least I now have something a little bit original to bring. What a relief. Phew. Can you tell I'm getting really excited about the upcoming conference??? Jess

I think you misunderstand (or else I'm misunderstanding you). The way I read it, the naïveté lies in believing that everyone has the time, energy and desire necessary to become fully informed about this subject. Obviously, those of us who are in this forum are here because we have a specific interest in food, but a lot of people don't. For example, how many of the people in this thread can tell me the origins of all the wood in their home, both structurally and in their furniture, and whether or not it was harvested legally and sustainably? Isn't it also our responsibility as consumers to know that information? Yes, but there is also a big difference between furniture and food. My motivations for buying local and sustainable food are twofold, both environmental/ethical and health. I don't put furniture into my body and that of my kids. That said, we are planning a kitchen redo in the near future, and the wood we use will be an ecologically sound choice, likely Lyptus (a branded form of eucalyptus). And yes, I think most everyone should at least make some effort to keep the environment in mind when they make purchases, and to at least know what is in their foods.

I think so, too. I have been told in the past that it "is hopelessly naive" to hold that opinion, but I still do. I'm not sure why that would be hopelessly naive. Granted, the fact that I live in the country and that there are lots of farmer's markets and a big local food movement in our area helps. I also don't think that it is possible to know the origins of everything we eat, but certainly a good percentage of it. To start with, almost all the beef we eat is from a cow that we raised, and we have most of a heritage breed locally grown hog in our freezer, and I have had enough discussions with the farmer to have a good idea what it was eating too. I think if one lived in a large city, it would be much more difficult, and would take a lot more work.

I think I have more appreciation for food that I have produced. There is a feeling or satisfaction that comes from eating a tomato you grew yourself that you don't get from buying one you bought. Same goes for animal products. We have chickens (mostly for eggs but the roos go in the freezer if they get obnoxious), a small herd of cows (milk and beef) and milk goats. Not only does our home raised beef and milk and cheese taste better and have better nutrition, but knowing exactly what the animal ate gives me a level of comfort feeding it to my kids. No antibiotics, no hormones, just hay and grass and a little grain when the girls are on the milking stanchion. I also like the idea that my kids know where their food comes from. Beef comes from the steer that was in the pasture last year (named Sir Loin), not in a styrofoam container at WalMart.

Actually, I'm waiting for the moment. I asked and they said 7-10 grams/color, which is pretty tiny. They sent samples to last year's conference so I am hoping for the same this year, plus I'll be able to get an idea of how much is used in a batch of chocolates at the conference when we get to play. Robert also told me that he thinks they have a very long shelf life, so that gets rid of one of my major concerns, that I might be throwing much of it out. Jess

I hope you have a big car...

I think we'd be up for dinner if the traffic isn't bad and we get out of the office at a reasonable time. Given what I95 is usually like, I'm not counting on it. More room for wine and chocolate! On the chance we do make it, I would vote for non-chain. Chocoera, that shoe is amazing! Jess

Well, my understanding of sustainable farming is that the practices used are compatible with the long term. If a farming method continually decreases the soil quality of causes erosion, for example, that is not sustainable. Eventually, you lose the topsoil, then you can't grow stuff. If you pollute the land with millions of tons of byproducts of feedlots or chicken houses, that is not sustainable. If you use antibiotics so liberally that you select for pathologic bacteria that we have no treatments for, that is not sustainable. Most of the farming done in the US falls under this heading. Eventually, we will cause so much damage that we can't continue the way we have. And thanks to lawsuits by companies like Monsanto, it is more and more difficult for farmers who want to farm sustainably to continue, and to maintain genetic crop diversity. As far as fish farming, it can be done well and it can be done in ways that are very destructive, causing disease in the wild population and resulting in high levels of contaminants such as PCBs in the fish. It's not perfect, but I try to use an ipad app called "Seafood Watch", which is sponsored by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, when I am buying seafood. It has pretty good summaries of the issues with both farmed and wild caught fish, and provides ocean friendly alternatives if a fish I am interested in using is on the "avoid" list. And I still think use of the word "honest" with respect to food is just plain meaningless. Jess

With all this discussion, nobody has posted a dictionary definition for the word "honest". So here we go. 1. Marked by or displaying integrity; upright. 2. Not deceptive or fraudulent; genuine. 3. Equitable; fair: honest wages for an honest day's work. 4. a. Characterized by truth; not false. b. Sincere; frank. 5. a. Of good repute; respectable. b. Without affectation; plain. 6. Virtuous; chaste. So I think that marketing of a food can be considered honest (using definition #2), but that definition would not work for the food itself. And I suppose a very simply prepared food could be called honest using definition 5b, although it seems a stretch to me. Seems like a stupid way to describe food, but that's just me.

"Even if your steak came from rare breed raised on a diet of organic grains and was then finished on grass, it's still really bad for the environment to eat it." Actually, it can be done in a non harmful way, albeit not as cheaply as beef raised in feedlots on government subsidized Monsanto corn. Pick up a book by Joel Salatin. He explains how it can be done, as he has been doing it on his farm for years. The problem is monoculture. Farms raise one thing, be it chicken or beef or corn or soy. Factory farms produce toxic waste - the sewage than runs out of these farms are loaded with antibiotic resistant bacteria. These animals are not being fed what their guts were evolved to eat. As a result, the animals are chronically sick and must be fed antibiotics due to their poor immune systems. Livestock in the US consume several times as much antibiotics and human, and virtually all of it is as feed additives, not to treat a specific illness. As a result, we have highly resistant strains of bacteria. Salatin raises a number of species. The cows pastures are frequently rotated. Then a couple days after the cows leave a pasture, he brings in the chickens, who eat the bugs in the poops, and produce more high quality fertilizer. They make eggs that are much healthier than the so called free range eggs in the store (and taste a lot better too). He has numerous other examples in his books. I have seen his farm and how things work there. We have a small farm and use many of his methods and they work for us. Is it a cheap way to raise food? No, but we are improving the soil on our land not using up the nutrients, and the beef and chickens we raise are healthier (both alive and as our food) than anything on a factory farm. The animals are treated humanely too. The toll of factory farming is adding up. They produce huge amounts of pollutants. Monoculture is ruining the soil of our heartland. I was raised in central Illinois, and the last time I was home, I could not believe how much lighter in color the soil was than when I lived there. This type of farming is not sustainable long term. Feedlots produce tons of pollution. On our farm, poop fom healthy cows is a good thing, not a pollutant. Bottom line, yes, it is important to me and my family where our food comes from. In our case, as much as possible is from our own farm and from farmers that I know personally. Buying local is good for our community. It encourages sustainable farming techniques. If you know where to look, it does not need to be expensive. It generally tastes better. if you don't think it's important, visit a factory farm. You will change your mind. Do I eat all local foods? No, I like citrus, and can't raise it in VA. After living in Panama for a while, I developed a fondness for lots of tropical fruits. But I would venture that we eat more sustainably produced food than the vast majority of the population, we don't spend crazy amounts of money on food, and I feel better about what I eat. I guess you could guess how I would describe "honest food" although I think the term is pretty stupid. Honesty is not an attribute that objects can possess. Jess

I keep bananas frozen at all times. Take a couple frozen bananas, break into chunks, put in the food processor. Turn it on. It will initially become sort of a sandy texture with some chunks in it. Let it run. After a bit, it magically turns into the texture of good quality ice cream. Eat as is, or pour in a little chocolate sauce and run the processor a couple more seconds. Or add in a couple frozen strawberries or a handful or frozen raspberries or blueberries at the beginning. Or top with caramel sauce or homemade magic shell. It is amazing how good this is. It really tastes bad for you.

DITTO!!!

Oh, thanks, rotuts. Another must have for when we finally build an outdoor kitchen. We moved and still own our old home, and need to sell that first...

I'm just catching up on your blog after a busy week. This is what we use for composting: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canopy-12-Liter-Oval-Step-Can-Stainless-Steel/15728015 The foot pedal means we don't have to touch the stuff while cooking but it stays closed. There is a plastic liner that can be taken out to dump the contents, and rinsed when needed. It doesn't look ugly, and it is fairly inexpensive. And since the food contacts the plastic liner not the steel, it holds up pretty well. As for our compost pile, I have horses, so everything is just incorporated into the considerable manure pile at the back of the property. Where did you get your wok stand? It looks like something I would love to get for our patio!!!

Ditto, Kerry. I am giving molded chocolates a try for the first time this weekend. I should have plenty of offerings.

Ooh, thanks Chris, that's exactly what I was looking for. I was looking under "colorants" silly me.

I asked, they gave out samples at a previous confection conference. I'm attending the one next month, so keeping my fingers crossed. That said (are you reading this, Chef Rubber?) there is probably a significant market for a "color kit" in volumes appropriate for the home chocolate enthusiast/hobbyist, with a selection of colors. I would certainly be interested in buying something like this. 7-8 ounces of each color is just way too much if you are just making a couple batches a month for family and friends, and I'd really like to have several colors.

Right, but they are all in at least 7 ounce bottles, for $20/each. I am looking to find smaller bottles than that, because in order to be able to have any variety of colors, I would need to invest much more than I would want and buy quantities much greater than I will ever need.

I'm going to the upcoming confection conference and I'm really excited about going. I have been playing with candy making at home for a while but mostly simple stuff like truffles and simple dipped chocolates. All the posts here have given me inspiration to get into the world of dipped chocolates. One of the things I love about the pictures everyone posts is the variety of beautiful colors of molded chocolates, using colored cocoa butter. I picked up a few molds and want to play with color, but in my research online, I am only finding large (8 ounce) bottles of colored cocoa butter, and a set of 6 colors is over $100. I would think that much would last me at least a decade, and I doubt it keeps that long. I have heard great things about Chef Rubber's colors, but alas, they don't sell small quantities as far as I can see. Does anyone have a source for smaller quantities of colored cocoa butter? I would especially be interested if they sold a set of several colors. Ideas anyone? Failing that, if there is anyone that might be interested in splitting some colors, I would be open to that as well. Thanks! Jess