Giving up Kraft Dinner+Nominated for WeBlog Award!

Andrew and I are at our two week "no boxed, no pre-made meals" life change! Go check out our progress and the tasty recipe I'm sharing at my post on the Green Phone Booth!!

I also want to quickly say a big THANK YOU to the lovely reader who nominated me for a Canadian WeBlog Award! Imagine my surprise when Roseanne from It's All Yoga, Baby mentioned on twitter that I had made the shortlist of the top 5 nominees! I'm so honoured to be mentioned next to four other fabulous blogs in the "Best WeBlog About Ecology and Social Justice/Écologie et justice sociale" (one other being from Halifax!).

Check out the other fantastic nominees:
Adventures in Local Food (Ecology Action Centre in Halifax)
Eco Logic
Eco Mama
SEWNatural

Again, Merci!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

What is your food worth? Eating Lobsters Mindfully

Although my journey with yoga has been a tumultuous one, what has resonated with me the most has been the (most likely watered down) concept of living mindfully.

Not only does this apply to the steps I take to decrease my impact on our beloved Planet, but it has also spread it's relevant tendrils to touch all aspects of living.

Including eating. This isn't a blog post about veganism or vegetarianism, but about what my food isn't worth.

My food has never been worth slave labour. Often products such as coffee, sugar and chocolate are named when discussing human right violations, terrible working conditions, slave and child labour and polluting cultivation practices. Similar discussions surround farming, with purchasing directly from your farmer assuring that your food has been purchased for a fair price.

This isn't news to most here in Nova Scotia. Despite this province's tendency towards traditionalism and conservative views, the slow food and local movement is making some pretty significant headway. The farmer's markets are booming and 'Buy Local' movements are getting a lot of press, it's great.

(This video is of a local fisherman making the best of a rough situation- hilarious to watch, especially as I've always heard of the crazy things they did while out on the ocean. As you can see, if the rope from the traps pulled him over he's not wearing his floatersuit... most don't. I'm also fairly certain this wouldn't be considered a "rough" day on the water)

Interestingly enough, with the start of District 34's lobstering season (end of November to end of May), which provides 60% of the global lobster industry, the 'fair price' logic hasn't connected. As a fisherman's daughter, I grew up eating lobster. Yes, I know I was lucky, but let me tell you, we were never rich. There is this strange misconception in the Atlantic provinces that lobster fishermen from District 34 are well-off. Perhaps there are a few, but they are far between and definitely not the norm.

Due to the proliferation of lobsters in this area of ocean, it is not easy nor cheap to become a fisherman. Firstly, there's purchasing a boat. Ranging anywhere from 200-500,000$ depending on where you'd like to fish (inside or steaming far outside). Then there's the license, which also costs another couple hundred thousand. You need to hire at least one other person (if not more) to help, minimum 100$ a day. Fuel costs a fortune and don't forget the traps (or 'pots' as their called home). Over 100$ each, with about 200 per boat, often they need replacing during the year.

Beyond this, these fisher-people fish during the harshest season of the year- winter. With winds, snow and sleet, leaving the warf at 3 or 4am to work all day and return after supper, (or stay out for days at a time), it isn't an easy life. Too many have lost their lives in that ocean, with riptides and currents assuring that bodies are never found. Unlike other districts, winter waters mean hypothermia in minutes followed by death. Families and communities never forget this risk.

(A local boat, the Hunter Madison, sinking earlier this week. Thankfully all crewmen were safely rescued. Even though it was a very calm morning, the boat didn't take long to sink....)

This year the season started with a price of 3$ or less a lb. In District 34, most fishermen belong to a co-op at their warf to whom they sell their lobsters. The co-op then sells to buyers, who sell to businesses and ship around the world (including the States).

For most fishermen, there aren't enough lobsters to justify a price of 3$/lb, it costs more to catch the lobsters than they're worth. Unfortunately, most fishermen are too indebted to change careers. With a boat, license, mortgage and house loans their only option is to keep fishing.

I don't know about you, but any lobster I eat, special occasion or no, restaurant or no, will never be worth unfair wages paid to fishermen who risk their lives every day to provide us with a delicious delicacy.

Instead of blindly purchasing your lobster this year, here are a few tips that you can do to help support the fishermen of district 34 (and around the world):

• Whenever possible, buy directly from the fisherman and pay a decent price (at least 5$ if not more).
• If that's not an option, but you live in Halifax, Pete's Frootique purchases their lobsters for a fair price directly from a fishermen in Cape Sable Island. 
• Not in Halifax? Before purchasing ask where the lobsters come from. Voice your concern with regards to the pricing and purchasing practices of buyers. Ask to know what price the original buyer (not the grocery store) paid the fishermen for the lobsters. 
• Group together with friends who also want lobsters and contact fishermen or co-ops in Nova Scotia to see whether a larger order could justify a trip to the city. People often know people coming up to the city this time of year. 
• If you can afford it, be willing to pay a bit more for fairly priced lobsters. They're a luxury item and as a result worth a few extra dollars to assure you're not contributing to the destruction of an entire community of fishermen and their families.

Living mindfully is so much more than just the obvious. This year my lobster will be fairly priced and worth every penny.

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Fish-A-Tarians: Eco-Tips for Eating Fish

Are you a flexitarian, omnivore, vegetarian+fish? I grew up around fish, I adore mussels, haddock, halibut and lobster. It would be difficult not to, living in a province like Nova Scotia, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean except for a tiny little bit of land connecting us to New Brunswick.

If you are a fish eater, there's a couple of things to keep in mind in order to assure the fish you eat nourishes yourself, the planet and the local economy- all at once!

General fishy tips:

1. Consider where you live. How far away is the ocean from you? Cuz that's how far that salt-water fish filet has traveled... 'Fresh' really is relative. For example, I was shocked that most restaurants in the interior of British Columbia actually sold 'Atlantic' mussels, proudly displaying they were from PEI. Now... take a quick look at the map to see just how far they traveled (over 6000 km!). Pair that with the fact that BC actually has some pretty yummy pacific mussels... wtf?
2. Try to keep it to your coast. Atlantic gal? Support Atlantic fish. The closer the fish exited the water, the fresher it will be, the better it will taste and you're putting your money right back in your community.
3. Don't have an ocean near you? Maybe you should consider purchasing fresh water fish, or leaving salt water sustainably fished filets for the special treats.
4. Frozen really doesn't taste better. If you're visiting an ocean-y spot and your only experience was frozen fish, please give fresh fish a try. You'd be shocked just how yummy it can be.

Pacific sustainable fish (according to SeaChoice and Mr. David Suzuki)

1. Sablefish: Pacific or Alaska that are trap or bottom longline caught. Avoid: Trawl caught or bottom longline from Washington, California and Oregon. Sablefish have been known to live up to 113 years! Check out Mr. Suzuki's site for recipes and more fishing info.
2. Spot Prawns: Caught in Canadian Pacific by trap. Avoid: Spot Prawns caught in the U.S. or Tiger Prawns. Yummy recipes and fishing info!
3. Sardines: Canadian or US Pacific- purse seine caught. Avoid: Atlantic (US & Canada) caught by mid-water trawl or purse seine. As icky as I find them, lots of people like sardines... so sardine lovers check out this extra info!
4. Albacore Tuna: caught by troll or pole in Canadian and US Pacific waters. Avoid: caught by pelagic longline. They can swim up to 80 km/h! Dr. Suzuki definitely has some great tips!
5. Dungeness Crab: trap caught in Canada, Oregon and Washington. Avoid: trap caught in Atlantic Canada or Alaska. These lovey-crabs embrace for several days during mating. More racy info here!
6. Pacific Cod: Caught in Alaska by bottom longline, jig or trap. Avoid: Atlantic or Pacific waters other than Alaska. These babies are like rabbits; one female can spawn up to 5 million eggs per birthing! wow. More info right over here.

Some Atlantic Fishies (Mr Suzuki really isn't that helpful here):

1. Haddock: If you live in Nova Scotia you have access to "Off the Hook" CSF (Community Supported Fisheries) where haddock (and hake and pollock) are caught by bottom hook and line: sustainable and a bit more pricey (but worth it!). Make sure you look for hook and line haddock for the best choice. Otherwise it's "dragger" caught which trawls on the bottom of the ocean tearing up our ocean floors and catching so many other fish in their nets as byproducts. See my recipe below for fool-proof delicious haddock!
2. Bass/Striped: look for hook and line striped bass.
3. Lobster: Mmmmm. As most lobster in Canada and the US is caught in Nova Scotia and Maine, the closer you are to these two places the better. American? Look for the "Caught in Maine" tag that has been implemented to avoid Maine buyers purchasing Nova Scotian lobsters and selling them as "Maine" lobsters. (yep, that happened!). Check out my Lobster post on some details of lobster fishing and the comment section for further insight.
4. Northern Shrimp: Look for coldwater trap caught. Avoid warm water farmed or wild.
5. Swordfish: harpoon caught. Avoid harpoon caught in the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, International Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: management and numbers are not as good as they are in Canada. This is some crazy kind of fishing. My brother spent a few summers, it involves weeks on the ocean with waves that rival the boat itself. Cahones.

Worldwide:

1. Farmed oysters: look for suspended culture systems. Avoid wild oysters caught by scallop or dredging. Oysters a like miniature water filters and uber sensitive to coastal pollution.
2. Closed Containment Farmed Salmon: Avoid farmed salmon raised in open net pens. Closed containment takes care of many of the threats posed by farmed salmon on the wild population!
3. Farmed clams: or wild clams hand raked in the US. These pretties help absorb carbon dioxide by absorbing it in their shells. Neat!
4. Farmed Mussels: mmmm. I have discovered that the best way to eat mussels are the spicy/curry style. Way better than butter and wine. Trust me.

If I didn't name one of your fav fishies- check out SeaChoice and give'er a search!

Lisa's Yummy Jammy Haddock:

Two hook and line caught fresh non-frozen (if possible) filets.

1 jar of "hot pepper jam" (Haligonians, Pat's Preserves Hot Pepper Jelly is Delicious! Available at the SeaPort Farmer's Market).

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F

Place filets in a glass casserole dish. Empty the Hot Pepper Jelly on top of filets. 

Cook for 10 minutes ONLY.

That's it! You should have delicious, moist perfectly cooked haddock with a little bit of a kick!

Lisa's Tips on Cooking Lobsters:

• Steam in a ginormous pot with only a couple of inches of water.
• Add enough sea salt (or regular salt) to make the water taste like ocean water. Trust me, the lobsters will taste better because of it.
• Please steam them live... killing them prior to steaming could release some random toxin and make the meat inedible. The myth of lobsters screaming? A myth. I would know, I've had lobsters at home my entire life. Seriously, we used to race them on the kitchen floor.
• Invest in some sort of cracking mechanism for the shucking. Or a very nice large knife. There's a sweet spot on the claws (mid claw) that with a good whack and a slight wrist twist you should be able to open them.
• A mason jar is the perfect tool for rolling out the yummy yummy legs. My favourite part!
• Only crazies eat the TomAlly... or fishermen. 
• With the tail in one hand, facing up and a fork in the other, facing down, go in and pull the meat out. Make sure to peel the outer part off and clean out the poop trail. No one wants to eat slices with a little surprise of poo in the middle. Ew.

Lobster chowder including only lobster meat (fried in a pan w butter and garlic post steaming) and potatoes (boiled in small chopped bits) adding cream or milk and butter is the best way to enjoy lobster IMHO. Shucking is just tourist-y and way too much work. :)

How about it? Any fish-a-tarians out there?

Blessings!


article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Frozen Farmer's Market with the Public Health Authority

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays! hosted by Food Renegade. Go check out the other fantastic 'Real Food' posts!!


As I've mentioned before here, I am not a fan of the farmer's market in Halifax. It's SO crowded that you can barely move, hear or talk and in order to get any food at all you need to be there on a Saturday morning at 7-8am. I've also mentioned how I'm not a huge fan of the local food box- as I found out (from a sticker on my zucchini) that they were sourcing their produce from a local store... Eating locally here is not an easy feat, but we've been trying with shopping at 'Planet Organic' that carries some local produce and meat, at a hefty price. (the courtyard of Dalhousie University. What you can't see are the wind gusts to 41km-hour and -15 windchill!)

As a last minute decision, I decided to take today off, which was pretty convenient as we had a bit of a windy snowstorm last night (so no walking in the snow pour moi!). My main plan: take advantage of the Friday 10-2 Farmer's Market!

Since last spring the local Health Authority (Capital Health) has been hosting a mini 'Farmer's Market' every Friday from 10am to 2pm as a 'Healthy Living, Healthy Eating' initiative. As I used to get every other Friday off, I went to a few of these during the late summer, early Fall months. Located in the Veteran General Hospital courtyard, Capital Health sent emails to all their employees each week reminding them of the market and new vendors.  (The courtyard of the VG today)

As I no longer get any Fridays off, I thought I'd take advantage of this time and see what exactly I'd be able to buy in this 'mini' frozen Canadian Market. As I walked towards the VG, snow blowing in my face, the windchill making it feel like -15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit), I wondered if it was even open.

(the SIGN, if you'll notice it even asks customers to BYObag!)

I found the courtyard empty.... and ventured closer to see- it was open! Walking inside the VG Hospital cafeteria I saw 7 booths set up with vendors sprinkled amidst patients, visitors and staff eating their lunch. I wish I could have taken some pictures to show you all, but I was a bit concerned about patient confidentiality... who wants to be splattered on a blog when you're ill?

As I made my way around, I bought something from each vendor: my first stop the 'fish' guy.

Now, it's no surprise that as a Nova Scotian AND a fisherman's daughter, I'm pretty darn fussy about what seafood I buy and eat. Add the sustainable aspect and it gets a bit trickier. The absolute BEST haddock I have ever eaten has been fresh from my mother's village- Pubnico. To my surprise, the fish guy is actually from my village and knows my family! Fresh, non-frozen haddock from 'home' it is! (Now I just have to call my mom and see how she cooks it!).

*Quick update: I just called my brother to confirm my suspicions on how they fish for haddock... by trawl. Trawls (or draggers as they are referred to at home) are these huge boats that basically dump nets with wheels at the bottom and literally drag them along the ocean floor. These nets pick up haddock, but they also catch other sea creatures AND tear up the ocean floor. My brother (also a lobster fisherman) reported that you *can* fish for haddock via hook-line, but they are more expensive to buy and rarely done. The bulk of Atlantic haddock that is sold comes from trawl. (the 'degradable' bag the fish guy gave me)

Well darn. At least next time I'll just stick to free lobster from my father and brother!

I also bought some home made hot pepper jelly, Italian herb bread, no-oat granola and Prince Edward Island tulips. Although in no way does this 'mini' market sustain all our grocery needs, it was so wonderful to be able to casually chat with the people who actually MAKE this stuff without feeling pushed or pressure to get out of the way like in the regular market.

(my loot today! See the "plastic" bag the fish is in? It supposed 'degrades' when in sunlight... now how long I have no idea and I KNOW it isn't accepted in our municipal composting facility. I'll have to figure out another use for it!)

So tonight, Andrew and I will dine on (ugh... trawl) haddock, baked in hot pepper jelly sauce, local organic mashed potatoes and organic broccoli and carrots! Yum!! What are you having for supper?

Blessings!

article and photos copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Lobster Chowder+Yoga Class= UGH

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays! Hosted by Food Renegade

Having spent parts of Easter weekend at home with my parents it was great to be surrounded by ocean, crazy wind and lobsters. Fishing was a part of almost every single conversation, it was fantastic. I walked into the house and dad had about a dozen lobsters alive on the front step in a crate and another six or so already being steamed on the stove. Mom was a little miffed that he had brought so many, but dad gives lobsters and the meat as gifts during holiday seasons. So, mom was relegated to shelling dozens of lobsters before our pork meal was to be prepared... I got to stand next to her and eat my favourite part- the legs. I offered to help, but really I am so much slower than she is at shelling lobsters. At my house we never ate lobsters straight out of the shell- way too much work for a meal. We always had them creamed or in a chowder... yum!

Of course I got about four lobsters worth of meat to bring back with me and so I made a chowder tonight. Lobster chowder is my favourite way to have lobster and I thought I'd share my easy easy recipe with you!

First; three tips on shelling lobsters that I had to learn by calling my mother:

what you need: A VERY sharp and large knife (think chopping knife), a fork, a rolling pin/jam jar, a small shelling scooper dealy (comes with kits- a long thin instrument will work too).

1. The claws have a sweet spot, trust me. Take your knife, turn the claw "palm up" and (after taking the small "thumb" off) chop between the "thumb" joint and the end. The claw should crack right down the middle and snap apart... if your knife is sharp enough.

2. Twist the tail off, then twist the little fan part at the end off. Take the tail, "face up" in your hand and with your fork hook into the 'belly' and pull the tail out.

3. The leg meat is the BEST part (along with the knuckles of the claws). An easy way to get the meat out is to take a rolling pin/jam jar and roll along the legs, squishing the meat out! mmmm.

Ok! NOW you are ready to make an awesome chowder!!

Ingredients for a small chowder that would serve four people:

Four Organic Potatoes

One Organic Onion

About four tails/claws lobster meat

three cloves of organic garlic

1/4 cup of butter 

1 litre of 10% cream and some milk.

First: chop up the potatoes into 1cm cubes until they cover about an inch of the chowder pot. Add 

just enough water to cover them (butter if you want too) and boil. Add a whole (halved OR chopped up if you want, I just don't like onions... lol).

Fry the lobsters in butter and pressed garlic. Make sure when you are 

cutting the lobsters up in cubes that you clean out the tail. As you can see in the picture, the tail has a little peely part that reveals their... ummm... poo tract. Make sure you clean out the digestive matter prior to cutting (the same goes for frozen lobsters. Nothing is worse than seeing frozen black poo in the middle of a piece!). Once they are golden brown they are ready!

Add some cream to the lobsters and allow the butter and lobster "juice" to mix together (haha, can you tell I'm not the "chef" in the household??). 

When the potatoes are mushy (or cooked), drain a bit of the water and dump the fried lobsters and cream into the pot. Add all the cream and if there is some room (and you ran out of cream) add some milk. Which is what I usually do. Some people add grated cheddar cheese, which adds thickness. Personally I find it tastes UBER fattening. Add the rest of the butter, and season to taste. 

Voila! A sustainable, seafood meal that will impress your guests and should only take 30 minutes! (after shelling of course). 

Of course we ate our chowder and are now going to a yoga class... Cream probably wasn't the best choice for someone of my "iffy" digestive skills... LOL. Thank goodness we have two hours between!

Blessings!

Hypnotized Lobsters; Considering Eco-ability

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays! Hosted by Food Renegade :)

With all this talk recently of how to stay an Omnivore and eat sustainably, seafood often seems to be coming out on top. We have an idea how chicken, pork and cattle meat can substantially increase 

our carbon footprint and affect our health (antibiotics and synthetic chemicals etc). Seafood, especially gathered from local fishermen, is our fall back to feeling like we are making the right choice.

My favourite seafood of all time is lobster. I LOVE lobster. Being the daughter of a lobster fishermen in the most abundant area of Atlantic Lobster in the world I was fortunate enough to grow up eating lobster weekly. I know a lot about lobster and lobster fishing. Really, most people just don't care about the random bits of lobster information that I have in my head. Did you know that you can hypnotize a lobster by setting it on it's head and rubbing it's back??? True story. Living in Nova Scotia you would think that buying lobster would be the sustainable choice. Unfortunately the truth isn't that simple and I thought I'd share a bit of what I know with you to help inform your lobster buying decisions. :)

Let's start with regions and boring money stuff. District 34 is a fishing area off the shore of Yarmouth/Digby area in Nova Scotia and is considered one of (if not THE) most lucrative lobster industry in the world. There are 972 fishermen who hold licences in this district, and the majority of Atlantic lobsters sold around the world were caught here. Even Maine lobsters... GASP. Yup, many lobsters that are labeled as "Maine" lobsters were caught here, sold to Maine and afterwards considered a "Maine" lobster. I've heard that Maine was taking steps to help prevent this- but ask for more details when purchasing.

Lobster fishing licenses in District 34 can cost as couple hundred thousand dollars and are not able to be passed from father to son for free. Boats cost from 300 thousand to a million, depending on where you fish (inside vs outside). Each Captain with a license gets a certain amount of tags (or quota) which allots them a certain amount of traps they can fish, around 400 a year. Each trap can cost 100$ or more, with about 100 traps to be replaced each year. 

Ok, we have determined that lobster fishing costs a lot of money for the fisherman so you'd think that the price you're paying at the store or restaurant reflects this... Unfortunately, there are a LOT of similarities between Michael Pollan's farming description of political price control and the lobster industry. Fishermen in District 34 sell to their Co-Op, who then sells to a buyer, who sells... you get the picture. This year fishermen were getting as low as 2.50$lb during the time when they most needed to make a profit (the first two weeks of fishing).

So lets talk sustainability of lobster fishing in District 34 (where chances are your lobster came from). Lobster fishing season in District 34 is from November until May. These fishermen are fishing during the coldest and most dangerous seas of the year in order to attempt to regulate lobster population. In summer months lobsters have babies and shed their hard shells. They also move more inshore due to water temperature. In the winter months lobster move to deeper waters (which stay warmer) and usually have harder shells. I say usually because "offshore" lobsters fished by huge fishing boats can have softer shells and less meat resulting in a weaker market. When buying lobsters ask if they are offshore or inshore- it really makes a difference.

David Suzuki (a leading Canadian environmentalist) has many links on his website regarding how to make a sustainable seafood choice. Seachoice.org rates Atlantic lobster as being the best choice and has a pdf article stating their research. The article is three years old and comments mostly on sustainability of population (good) and risk to ocean floor and other sealife (reasonably good). The article is really in depth and interesting... if you like reading about lobster fishing lol. From a "front line" perspective though, these past two years lobster yields have been dismally low. Fishermen are starting to wonder about population numbers and sustainability.

Other checklists that state Atlantic lobster as "best choice" are: Seafood Watch (which has more international info), Ocean Wise (which has sustainable restaurant info). David Suzuki's own "State of the Catch" has comprehensive info on Pacific Coast seafoods.

All this is great and I'm all for supporting local fishermen (my dad and brother especially!) but I do recognize that there is a lot more involved to making a truly eco-friendly choice than simply population density and by-catch risk. Here are a few more bits of info to consider when purchasing a lobster as an "eco" choice.

Mandated seasons help control overfishing and this year the fishermen are not permitted to fish on Sundays (most of the older generation didn't fish on Sunday anyway). Traps are easier on the ocean floor than dragging (scallops) although I'm sure Alli from Ocean Treasures could comment more on the real result of lobster traps (she's a marine biologist!). Due to high winds during winter months traps are beaten up pretty badly and need to be replaced. Many of these traps are lost on the ocean floor forever or just thrown into the landfill/dump (yes Nova Scotia still has dumps). Lobster traps are made from wire (with a rubbery-plastic coating), two cement blocks for weight, nylon netting to trap the lobster and bungee cord to keep the trap shut. So if on average each licence holder (Captain) lost 20 traps a year, that would be 19 440 traps accumulating on the ocean floor a year. Also, we need to think about all the miles of nylon rope that is used every year- loads and loads of plastic nurdles accumulating with the traps. Attached to these trawls of traps (with 4-10 per trawl) are buoys made from a funny styrofoam substance and repainted with lead paint every single year.

Lastly, boats use a LOT of fuel each day to steam out to their traps. This can range from 500$ worth of fuel a DAY for an inshore fishermen to much more for those fishing offshore and making two to three day trips. The final aspect and most obvious one, the further away you live from the Atlantic, the more fuel it has taken to get your lobster to your plate.

Conclusions? Making a sustainable seafood choice is complicated, just like choosing a sustainable meat choice. When comparing lobster to other seafoods like scallops, trawled haddock or halibut, it definitely comes out on top. But at the same time, believing that lobster is as sustainable as for example, organic farming, is ridiculous. I would love to hear Alli's perspective on current population conditions and environmental effects of gear. I love lobster and will continue to support my father and brother who work so hard at something they love. Especially if it means having lobster chowder... mmmmmm. In the meantime- check out this handy little printout you can carry with you while shopping to help make an informed choice!

Blessings and Happy Wind Moon!