The Helpful Pointer

Those who produce organic food and other organic products have to go through a process called organic certification. A business that is directly linked to the production and selling of food can go through this certification, even those selling seed, food processors, farmers and restaurant owners.

A set of standards in the aspect of growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping have been set forth that these suppliers need to comply with in order to pass the organic certification process. These standards include:

1. having on-site inspections

2. making sure that non certified products are kept away from organic products

3. keeping records of sales and production for an audit

4. using land to farm on that has not been used with chemicals for at least 3 or more years

5. avoiding chemical inputs into the produce such as pesticides, additives and genetically modified organisms.

Organic Certification varies from each country, but there are standards that everyone has to follow and abide by. The government, in some countries, is the one that oversees the certifications. These organic food producers can also be held to other food safety standards of those who are not organic certified.

The demand of organic food is rising so the purpose of organic certification is to ensure that those who claim to have organic produce truly are using organic methods. When only sold at farmer’s markets, organic certification was not needed. However, with the popularity spreading and people obtaining these products in their food stores, the certifications became necessary.

Farmers that are being certified for the first time must pass the soil test of not having soil that has been contaminated with chemicals for a certain number of years, usually three. They have to go into a state of transition to comply with organic standards, and during this time their produce is usually not considered organicve of the future.

Vegetarian diets are gaining in popularity as more and more people are becoming concerned about health and healthy eating.

There are different types of vegetarians:-

• Semi-vegetarians - These people cannot really be classed as true vegetarians because they have only cut out red meat and still eat white meat and fish.
• Fruitarians - Do not eat any animal products and eat a vegan diet which is limited to eating the ripe fruit of trees and plants.
• Vegans - Do not eat any animal produce at all.
• Lacto-vegetarians - Do not eat meat or eggs but do consume dairy products.
• Lacto-ovo-vegetarians - Do not eat meat products but do consume eggs and dairy products.

There are many benefits of following a vegetarian diet and it is easy to find vegetarian recipes online whichever type of vegetarian you are.

Benefits of cooking vegetarian recipes and cutting out meat products include:-

1. A lower risk of disease - Cutting out meat and eating more vegetarian recipes will cut your risk of contracting coronary heart disease and strokes. This is due to the fact that vegetarian recipes and diets are low in saturated fats, high in good fats and high in antioxidants. An average American man can cut his risk of heart disease from 50% to 15% if he cuts meat out of his diet.
2. A longer life - On average, vegetarians live about 7 years longer than meat eaters and vegans live up to 15 years longer.
3. A vegetarian diet is high in antioxidants because of the high fruit and vegetable content of vegetarian recipes. Antioxidants protect our cells from damage by cancer causing free radicals, such as pollution and smoking, and help reduce the signs and effects of ageing.
4. Lower cholesterol - Good fats in nuts and seeds in vegetarian recipes help to lower bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol. Vegetarians tend to eat more soya protein which contains iso flavones which also lower cholesterol. On average, vegetarians have 14% lower cholesterol levels than meat eaters.
5. Lower risk of blood clots - Iso flavones in soya protein reduce the risk of blood clots.
6. Lower risk of bone loss and therefore osteoporosis - Studies have shown that vegetarian women are at a lesser risk of osteoporosis.
7. Weight loss - Vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat eaters because vegetarian recipes and diets are lower in saturated fats and calories.
8. Lower risk of Cancer - Studies have shown that plant based diets help to protect against many types of cancer and soya protein inhibits tumour growth.

Of course, if you are going to cut out meat and eat chips, chocolate and cheese all day then you are not going to benefit from any of these. To have a healthy vegetarian diet you need to include the following in your diet and vegetarian recipes:-

• Wholewheat products and wholegrains
• Nuts, seeds and legumes
• A wide variety of fruit and vegetables
• Dairy or soya products

Have fun experimenting with vegetarian recipes.

1/2 ga Catsup 3 Cloves garlic — crushed
1 sm Bottle Worcestershire sauce Tabasco and/or mustard — to
1/2 c Sugar Taste
2/3 c Vinegar

Mix and simmer. Add a dash of Tabasco and/or mustard for hotness till it
tastes right. “Don’t put it on the meat while cooking ’cause you will cause
the sugar to caramelize and char. This used to be a secret but since I’m
retired it makes no-never-mind. I makes more money now after I retired. If
I knew I could make this much money as a retiree, I would have quit working
when I was 20.” (By “retired” Euel means he now runs a private catering
company and cooks only for those who wisely seek out his skills.)

About the Author

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Online, your Local Fishmonger or at the Supermarket. What is the best option for buying Seafood?

At the Supermarket

They may have a fresh fish counter or a section in the chiller department, they will almost certainly have a freezer department.

You may or may not realise this, but all fish starts to spoil as soon as it’s killed and the more the seafood is processed/handled the quicker it starts to deteriorate. When buying seafood you want it as fresh as possible, preferably still flapping.

When buying fish a good way to tell if it’s fresh is to press it with you finger, the flesh should spring back, not leave your fingerprint in it. It should smell of the sea, slightly of ozone and most definitely not of FISH.

The reason that the seafood in supermarkets manages to have such a long shelf life is because those little sealed containers have pumped air in them - not air exactly as you and I breathe but air with the same elements calibrated to a different ratio and this is what stops the fish going off so quickly. As soon as that container is opened the fish will start to spoil faster (I might add that they do the same with bagged salad). Do you really want to be buying fish that’s been artificially kept edible?

At the fish counter you will probably find not only whole fish and seafood but also fillets, steaks and cutlets. It’s a good idea to ask the assistant when the fish was caught/brought in. They should be able to tell you. Be aware of any fish that’s been covered in ice with just the heads sticking out, this is an old trick to disguise old product, get them to take it out so that you can see the fish properly. If there are fillets on sale, especially sole or plaice fillets check to see if there’s any yellowing of the flesh; this is another indication of stale fish, and of course, ask to smell it.

If you’re looking at a whole fish - take a good look at its eyes, they should be clear and bright, not sunken and cloudy. The gills should be a deep red colour and the skin shiny and slippery. If you pick up the fish it should feel firm, not floppy like some old rag doll.

If you’re after shellfish there’s 2 very simple rules to follow. Before cooking, if it’s open and doesn’t close when tapped sharply don’t buy it or cook it. After cooking if it’s still shut, don’t eat it.

When buying crab or lobster, pick it up, it should feel heavy for it’s size.

The third option in the Supermarket is the freezer department. This can be a very good alternative to fresh fish. Look for fish that has been ‘flash frozen’, this means that the fish has been caught and filleted very quickly - possibly at sea , then frozen very quickly thus retaining all the flavour and nutrients. This is often a far better option than fish lying around for days in the chiller cabinet.

If you are lucky enough to be close to a decent Fishmonger, get to know him and he’ll look after you. He will invariably know where the seafood has come from and when it was caught. He can prepare it for you and give you tips and recipes. If you have a special occasion coming up, tell him beforehand and he will be only to happy to fulfil your order, handing it over ready to put in the oven or whatever.

Thankfully, now that the Internet has come into its own, buying fish and seafood online has never been easier. There are many small, specialised companies where you can buy not only fresh fish and seafood but delicacies such as Smoked Salmon and Caviar. They deliver excellent seafood either fresh in chilled boxes, frozen or vacuum packed.

Cherie is a freelance cook, cookery writer and webmaster. See http://www.great-salmon-recipes.com for more great salmon recipes including how to smoke, grill, bake and poach Salmon and for quick and easy recipes using canned salmon.