Category: FoodWISE blog

Mangroves—women protecting, conserving, growing

Women conservation groups are powerful in Kenya—one, in particular, in Kwale county near Mombasa dedicates itself to mangrove conservation by establishing nurseries and planting seedlings. The women have received some money and some attention. But beyond the initial donations, they’re pretty much on their own—volunteering. Only about 30 women of the 300+ participate, but they…

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WISE Foods on Kenya’s coastal small plots—vegetables, fruits, traditional fats

Our WISE acronym—whole, informed, sustainable, experienced—applies also to coastal travel; in these few months in Kenya, I’m reporting on the availability of vegetables, fruits, and traditional fats. The coconut water, coconut cream, and rice are heated over a coral frame fire with small pieces of wood. The rather large amount of coconut rice (shown right)…

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WISE Foods in Kenya—vegetables, but who eats them?

Six weeks in Kenya has been, literally, fruitful. Many vegetables are grown around Nairobi ..and in a small duka there… and points around Nairobi due to the less humid environments and greater availability of water. A case in point is Sakuma Wiki, pictured in the top back row, and below. A popular vegetable—for it’s taste…

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Cheese, glorious cheese

I still consider fermented foods such as yogurt, cheese, and sauerkraut to be wholefoods. Natural processes of fermentation are everywhere. Milk wants to be cheeseand sour cream: it starts to sour soon after it exits the animal unless properlyrefrigerated and handled. Cultures aid the transformation. That is the origin story of cheese: probably discovered millennia…

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Good Crackers

Even if you have some gluten sensitivity, I invite you to consider trying these long-fermentation, whole-grain breads and crackers. I myself have a laboratory-certified gluten sensitivity, and my bread doesn’t arouse that sensitivity at all. These days we enjoy own home-baked bread, but also tortillas and crackers—consuming grains mostly whole and unprocessed.

A Fall harvest of art and science

Here, in the Northwest, we enjoy a weather pattern that is conducive to grazing and growing. Hard work in spring and summer pays off in fall. And, at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA young legumes peek through the soil. They’ve made great progress since their October seeding.