Joe’s Restaurant Newsletter #110, JAN 2015
– Sheila
On Wed Jan. 14 eat well and eat often at Joe’s. Why? Because without costing you an extra penny, you are raising funds for Monte del Sol Charter School Mentorship Program. Joe’s will donate to the program 20% of whatever you spend; a program in which students learn valuable skills guided by working professionals in the community and at the same time are able to follow their passion. Concomitantly they learn to connect and contribute to our Santa Fe community.
Americans are demanding more organic foods. From 2002 to 2011, organic food production increased 240% while non-organic (and that would include GMO) has grown just 3%. In 2010 the organic food market represented 4% of the overall. By 2012 it increased to almost 8%. Now we at Joe’s source from many local farmers some of whom who are not certified organic. They are by conviction and practice, organic growers, just not certified. The certification process for a small operation can be prohibitive. But because we know their farming practices, we trust their product. On a large commercial scale, however, a scale that the buyer cannot scrutinize, the very best feature about “certified organic” is that it cannot therefore be GMO. That’s a very good thing.
And speaking of GMO’s: I spoke recently with Liz Campbell, Canadian food critic and blogger Forkonthemove.com This was her astute and concise statement, “We must be the only generation in history to compromise the health of our children and future generations for profit.”
I’ve sung the praises of a cup of Joe for many years. And it’s so gratifying when a habit (addiction?) is deemed healthful. There are literally thousands of natural chemical compounds in your brew, and science suggests their synergy packs a nice nutritional wallop. Here’s a quick list of the beautiful bean’s benefits:
The high amount of antioxidants are known to provide anti-aging properties and protection against degenerative diseases and cancers such as liver, kidney, breast and colorectal. Several studies have shown that daily consumption of coffee is linked to a significant reduction in diabetes risk. Coffee can significantly cut your risk of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia. It is
protective against heart arrhythmia (who would guess that one?!) It reduces one’s risk of stroke and actually increases the numbers and activity of good gut bacteria.
Most beneficial is of course is organic and without sugar. And this I found interesting – Ori Hofmekler exercise guru and researcher, says coffee increases your metabolism by up to 20 % and can actually be quite beneficial if consumed before exercise. Ori states:
“Coffee before training allows you fast energy to initiate your workout. For people who train in the morning, having coffee before training is a great advantage.” Hmmm.
You may already know, how excited I am about hemp! And I do believe the renaissance of humanity’s most useful crop is inevitable and immanent. But it’s astounding how little we really know about this ancient and patriotic crop. I too was in the dark until recently. Unfortunately because of its association with the negative effects of marijuana (due to high THC), hemp is having a struggle finding its rightful place in the American farmland and industry. We’ll soon put together a more detailed info sheet; but in the meantime here are some bullet points to shed light on this fascinating but muddied topic.
Is hemp the same as marijuana? No. Hemp and marijuana are two different varieties of Cannabis Sativa L., an herb indigenous to many parts of the world. Marijuana is cultivated for high levels of THC, the compound that makes you high. Industrial hemp, on the other hand, is cultivated for its fiber, oil and seed. It has almost undetectable levels of THC but higher levels of CBD. Hemp cannot make you “high.”
What is CBD? Cannabidiol, the most prominent naturally occurring cannabinoid compound found in Hemp. Current research is finding CBD may be the single most important cannabinoid ever discovered. CBD is a natural constituent of the industrial hemp plant that promotes and supports the nutritional health of aging bodies.
Is hemp legal in the US? It is legal to import hemp products but only selectively (in some states and under some circumstances) legal to grow it here . . . so far.
CBD itself, because classified as a food, is legal to buy and use. As is hemp seed (imported), hemp fiber (imported), hemp protein (imported). But still we cannot freely grow it!!!
How much do we import from Canada and other countries? At least $2 billion annually and growing quickly. You see the problem now? An entire “lost industry” that was once a mainstay of the US economy prior to its criminalization April 14, 1937.
The CBD component alone, has some pretty impressive medical properties:
| Antiemetic – | Reduces nausea and vomiting |
| Anticonvulsant – | Suppresses seizure activity |
| Antipsychotic – | Combats psychosis disorders |
| Anti-inflammatory – | Combats inflammatory disorders |
| Anti-oxidant – | Combats neurodegenerative disorders |
| Anti-tumoral & Anti-cancer – |
Combats tumor and cancer cells |
| Antidepressant – | Combats anxiety and depression disorders |
Whereas more evidence is surfacing that is unflattering to THC* (the defining component of marijuana), CBD on the other hand is a rising therapeutic star. So much so that the pharmaceutical industry has synthesized it to treat such disorders as epilepsy, sleep apnea, anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD, schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. But why … when one can legally ingest hemp oil formulated to have high levels of non-toxic, non- psychoactive CBD?
There are almost as many uses for hemp as you can think of (see brief list below). My interest in hemp leans toward the nutritional. When I examine hemp seed alone for instance, I’m compelled to add it to the top of my SuperFoods list. But that’s a subject in and of itself – stay tuned.
All of these benefits and uses support the larger view. What Roland and I see with the revival of this incredibly adaptable hardy crop is a “new” industry for New Mexico and for the US in general. Americans are being left out of the loop of a lucrative and burgeoning industry. One that can reclaim our once enviably rich soils ravaged by 10 years of drought and by mono-cropping. One that is up to 9 times more profitable for farmers than for instance corn is. This should not be a political or social issue. It has absolutely nothing to do with “smoking pot”- that’s irrelevant. It is an economic and agricultural issue. Farmers are desperate for a viable cash crop. The market exists. Let’s get going!
Everywhere but in the US, hemp is being grown for the following: textiles, insulation, lumber and building materials, car and machinery bodies, rope, batteries, auto fuel, animal feed, soil reclamation and crop rotation, therapeutic oils, high protein food, soap, spa and beauty products, neutraceutical/healing products.
[*THC studies have now determined it to be causative in memory impairment, paranoia, inhibition of whole brain development especially in the young.]
Why do we keep hammering on this “buy local” theme? There are many factors that are out of our hands when it comes to our food supply. Most of what ends up on the American dinner table derives from a shockingly few giant agribusinesses. Their influence reaches from designing the (GMO) seeds to planting, harvesting, processing and shipping.
We as consumers cannot with confidence hand over the entire stewardship of our food to these few multinationals. Our passion here at Joe’s is for a local sustainable food supply – food produced by growers who are accountable for what they grow. KYG – Know Your Grower. We are able to look our local farmer in the eye and ask him about his growing practices or even visit his operation. This gives us the confidence that we are eating food that is healthy, wholesome, non-genetically engineered, often better than organic, humanely treated and minimally processed. It is grown with a smaller energy-use footprint and transported short distances. We cannot divorce human health, the economy, ecology, personal (perhaps spiritual) satisfaction or honorable work from food. Food is fundamental. What we eat, where it comes from, the stewardship of food animals, the nurturing and building of soils – all these factors affect us at a cellular and visceral level … whether we slow down enough to be aware of it or not. We so are fortunate in Santa Fe to have one of the very best Farmers Markets in the nation.
Here at Joe’s we do our best to offer this bounty to you, keeping dollars in the community. In the interest of transparency, in 2008 Joe’s spent $30,000 on local foods. In 2009 it increased to $60,000. Each year since 2012 we have far exceeded $100,000 per annum. During the growing season as much as 95% of our produce is locally sourced.
Land, economy, health – inseparable.
Tired of still paying for BB’s (big banks) bailouts? Tired of lining the pockets of the uber-rich Wall Street bankers? And still no convictions? DiJa know… in 2011 a congressional audit o f the Federal Reserve found that the Fed gave 16 trillion dollars from American taxpayers to bail out the “too big to fail” banks with a hefty portion of it going to CEO’s obscene bonuses. Can you imagine — had this staggering figure been re-directed to the people of the US, how different the picture could have looked today? Manufacturing starts, job creation, skills training, roads and bridges repair, national parks, education, etc. Every time we use a credit card, part of that 3%-5% fee contributes to the BB’s. Now let’s be real – in today’s world you cannot function without a credit card, but there are still (legal) alternatives that can save money and reduce our dependency on and subsidies to the BB’s. We have a couple of suggestions: (1.) Are you on Joe’s Check List? If you are a “regular” and wish to pay by check, please ask your waiter to get you on the list. (2.) Joe’s own credit card/gift card – purchase a $100 gift card with cash or check or silver coin or gold coin, get a $10 free bonus!
Giggles – New Year’s Resolutions
– When I thought about the evils of drinking in the New
Year, I gave up thinking.
– You know it’s time for a New Year’s resolution to lose
weight when you step on a talking scale and it says,
“one at a time, please!”
– Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New
Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.
Joe’s
2801 Rodeo Rd (at Zia Rd) Santa Fe, NM 87507
505-471-3800 www.JoesDining.com
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