Raw Milk Victory

I admit, the skeptic deep down got the better of me. Luckily, I was proven wrong, and my faith in justice has rung true once again.

Michael Schmidt, the Ontario farmer who got in trouble for distributing raw milk to cow shareholders was acquitted of the charges last Friday. The National Post did a great bit on it:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2470235

I've waffled a bit on where I stand on this *broad* issue; I mean, Michael Schmidt has my full support, and I wholeheartedly believe that if well-informed individuals want to drink unpasteurized milk from Schmidt's farm, then they should not be prohibited from doing so. However, Schmidt is raising cows in the right way, not in a large-scale conventional way that makes pasteurization necessary - it does kill disease, after all. And when everyday citizens don't choose to seek out a safely produced raw milk (and face it, most people won't), then pasteurization is good.

And for the rest, options are good too. Way to go, Schmidt. This is food sovereignty at its best!

Halifax foodie scene

I've made a new year's resolution to write more. Hopefully it sticks.

I've finally settled my life in Halifax after six months of floating, traveling, staying with friends, and generally benefiting from the good will of other people. That is a tough life, I must admit, especially when it comes to food, and the sort of investment I want to make in my food life. I've been itching for a while to plant garlic, asparagus, and other plants that don't appear right away. And I want to buy in bulk! But when you're living the life of a half-hearted vagabond, those options are not open. So, to finally put down some roots, to say "I have time. I'm not going anywhere soon" is probably the most relief I have felt in a very long time.

And Halifax, I continue to discover, is a great place in which to do that. Lots of great people interested in local food, sharing information, and tricks on where to get the best local sunflower oil for the best price, is really starting to make me feel part of something. And it's gooood. It's hard not to get excited when there is the Local Source food market a short walk away from my apartment, the Grainery Food Co-op just a bit further, and a rockin' Saturday Farmer's Market to boot! I can start changing my habits, my routines, and dig deep into the promises that are here.

(I also had the BEST London Fog of my life yesterday at the Just Us! cafe on Spring Garden. I think I am a new person because of it.)

So, here I go, into the food world of Halifax!