Buffalo Mozzarella from Italy tainted by dioxin

Another example of how trashing the environment taints our food supplies and causes injury to the human race. Italy’s famous buffalo mozzarella has been tainted by dioxin due to unregulated dumping in Naples, the main region producing buffalo mozzarella. Link.

No More Fish from Chile

Chilean methods of salmon farming have resulted not only in environmental damage, but now have begun destroying the fish themselves. Link. The salmon being farmed have become infected with Infectious Salmon Anemia and is causing them to die. While there is as of yet no scientific evidence this disease harms humans, my bet is that it does. Who wants to eat diseased fish?? There is no reason to believe other fish are being farmed with better methods. Bottom line: don’t buy Chilean farmed fish.

Buy Organic and Save our Song Birds

The use of dangerous levels of pesticides in Latin America to grow coffee, bananas, rice and out of season fruits and vegetables are killing North American song birds who migrate to South America for the winter. Help protect our song birds by buying organic coffee, and bananas and by not buying out of season fruits and vegetables. The full article can be accessed here.

The necessity of biodiversity

I recently read Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemna” and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver. Among other great points, they point out the importance of biodiversity i.e. planting heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers and raising different varieties of animals. For example, most turkeys raised in the U.S. are bred to enhance breast meat and are so top heavy that they cannot even walk. Moreover, these turkeys can no longer naturally reproduce as they have been artificially inseminated for so long. If this strain is wiped out by disease, we need alternatives. Not to mention the fact that heirloom animals and vegetables taste better and are better for you. The New York Times has an article today on the seed vault in Norway that is attempting to maintain the planet’s biodiversity.

Tennessee Vols Football Quilt

Last fall I discovered licensed NCAA football fabric with the Tennessee Vols power “T” logo, Smoky the mascot of the Vols, in Tennessee orange. I decided to make my husband a quilt using the fabric. I machine pieced the top and am now hand quilting it. I am about 2/3rds of the way done–it will definitely be done in time for football season. I will post a picture soon. Anyone else making football quilts?

Welcome to AndimanLand

Welcome to AndimanLand! Come visit for an eclectic mix of what makes me tick.