Edible Orange County Endless Summer 2022

Food Waste Fit Foodie In Season

By Michele Jacobson

By William Cullen Bryant

By Gina Mullins Cohen

By Gina Mullins Cohen

By Mareya Ibrahim

edible Communities 2011 James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year

Summer Memories

The meaning of summer has changed a lot for me since I was a child. No longer do I sit on my porch on a hot and lazy afternoon, lost in the pages of a good summer read. I no longer remember the taste of my mother’s 5-layer, blue-frosted, icebox coconut cake, either. I’ve held tight to that memory… the sound of her opening the door of the freezer and the icy fog resting on my cheeks and forehead. She’d slowly pull the cake out of the freezer so we could view her annual masterpiece in blue. The icing was a color of blue, richer than a clear morning sky. This was a cake sure to be plate-licked and gone until she felt the urge to create it again the following summer.

The day-to-day lives we live change dra matically over time. As I longingly hold on to memories of cakes, books and my best friend – my mother - there is still one memory-making experience for me that happens every summer – visiting sunflow er gardens. These gardens of tall, openfaced flowers bobbing in a warm breeze mesmerize me at every sighting. The glory of each bloom reaching for the sky to a brighter, hopeful future not yet discov ered, still energizes me. Not surprisingly, the sunflower is my favorite flower.

My mother’s favorite flower was the tulip. She favored red tulips and never missed the opportunity to point them out in flower shops in April and early May. She saved greeting cards with tulips on the cover, storing them in the small, top drawer of her bureau. This specific drawer was magical, as it also held her collection of silk scarves in rainbows of color. Each scarf was meticulously wrapped in white, chiffon paper. They were only occasion ally worn, if worn at all. Sometimes on a hot day, I’d sneak into the room, open the drawer and hold one particular, yellow-orange scarf against my face. Hmm… another fond summer memory. If you are looking for a good summer read, it can be found within these pages and although I never thought to get my mother’s recipe for the blue-frosted, ice-box coconut cake – which if I had, I would share - I can point to the cover of this issue, and the beautiful sunflowers dancing in the blue summer sky. Enjoy this issue and remember to always eat good food, laugh a lot and choose to be happy.

– Gina Mullins-Cohen

edible Orange County®

Published by Eclipse Media Partners, LLC

Editorial Staff

Gina Mullins-Cohen Editor gina@edibleoc.com 310-721-3093 | 949-315-6445

Bill Cohen Editor: Arts and Culture 310-721-3093 | 949-315-6445 info@edibleoc.com

Robert D. Mullins

Investigative Reporter Editor info@edibleoc.com 310-721-3093 | 949-315-6445

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Creative Director kim@creativebydesign.net 951-226-5617

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No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher ©2022. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please ac cept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.

By Gina Mullins-Cohen

NOT, NOT WasteWant

BY MICHELE JACOBSON

Many of us cannot conceive of a world where food isn’t represented by the iconic cornucopia of plenty; our mar kets’ shelves groan with every conceivable provision. However, according to the Washington D.C.-based Food Loss and Waste Protocol, one-third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted between farm and fork. The effects are calamitous and farreaching; the EPA says food waste accounts for 24 percent of landfill input. As this food decomposes it emits a staggering amount of methane, a green house gas more potent than carbon dioxide. (And you thought methane was only from cow-burps).

Reducing food waste is considered the singular best way to combat climate change.

Food waste refers to food that is fit for human consumption, but consciously discarded. In the U.S. alone one-third of all food grown goes unharvested; another 30 percent is discarded by grocery stores. Restaurants and other food service establishments throw away a staggering amount of food, due to waste from too many menu choices or oversized por tions that go uneaten. According to the USDA, over 40 million tons of food per year are wasted. Due to the impact food waste has on global warming (as well as food insecurity), it would be wise to take

Reducing food waste

solution to fight climate change!

The average American wastes approximately one pound of food per day, 71 percent of which could have been eaten (i.e., it was not bones, shells or peels), according to the Oregon Wasted Food Study. Restaurants and other food service account for a huge 70 percent of waste, mostly due to plate waste from cus tomers who don’t eat all that they are served.

What can YOU do?

✓ Buy only what you need and use all of what you have (Onethird of food waste is produce, so chop up those broccoli stalks and use those beet greens!)

✓ Re-use leftover food, either for another meal or repurpos ing (bread into breadcrumbs, small amounts of cooked vegetables into quiche, etc.)

✓ Understand food expiration labels. “Best if used by” is just a recommendation for optimum freshness, while the less common “Use by” label usually refers to perishable items.

✓ Freeze food before it goes bad

When you do have unusable food waste, composting is the best course of action. For those who cannot backyard compost, simple, kitchen-counter options are available. One standout product is Lomi which, like all composers, can turn your food scraps into nutrient-rich soil.

stock of what we eat, as well as how we dispose of what we do not.

One way to deal with food waste is to recycle it.

Recycled food refers to food waste that’s used to create another useful product, such as fuel, animal feed or compost fertilizer. A key advantage of recycling is that it lessens the landfill burden. Ex amples include ethanol biofuel, made from excess corn, sugarcane or yellow grease discarded by restaurants; livestock feed, from surplus food or supply-chain by-products; and composting, made from or ganic matter like food scraps and yard cuttings.

The USDA and EPA seek to cut food waste in half by 2030, but some states have been more aggressive in this venture. To reduce greenhouse gases, California seeks to slash organic waste to a full 75 percent by 2025, an action comparable to removing one million cars from the road each year. California’s recycling mandate directs food waste to composting or anaerobic digestion facilities for decompo sition, where it is converted into nutrient-rich soil or natural gas. Repurposing food waste in this way can have meaningful impact.

Though some surplus food is inevitable, the goal is to ensure food goes to its highest and best use - which is to be eaten by people, accord ing to ReFED, a non-profit that seeks to find data-driven solutions to food waste. The goal is a circular food system - which means using all edible parts of all food grown - an initiative that tackles both climate change and food scarcity. Small-scale examples of this are the nose to

is the number one

tail practice of eating a whole animal or finding novel uses for those scraps of fruits and vegeta bles which are normally discarded. On a macro scale, unused ingredients can be salvaged and upcycled to generate completely new products. This not only saves food but also conserves the natural resources that helped create it: water, land and energy. Most importantly, a circular food system can diminish the amount of food waste in landfills.

Until recently I had never heard of upcycled food and guessed that most other people hadn’t either. Common misconceptions are that it refers to either recycled or reused food, (i.e., like the unpalatable prospect of another patron’s breadbasket on your restaurant table), but neither of these descriptions is accurate. Officially, upcycled foods fill the following three criteria:

• use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption

• are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains

• have a positive impact on the environment.

This isn’t just about finding something to do with banana peels. The upcycled food in dustry functions on a much larger scale, creat ing an ingredient stream; when one food pro ducer needs to discard surplus ingredients or by-products of production, another producer can procure and repurpose these ingredients for their own products. This innovative ap proach has birthed a whole new niche market of products.

Byproducts of the fruit juice industry, in cluding rinds and pulp-infused water, are up cycled to create value-added drinks for brands like Waju and Spare Tonic.

Byproducts from the production of plantbased milks, including oats, soy and almonds, are upcycled and repurposed by Oakland-based Renewal Mill into a line of premium glutenfree flours and baking mixes.

Berkeley-based ReGrained rescues spent grain from beer brewers and upcycles it into a key ingredient for its’ highly nutritious SuperGrain baking mixes, pastas, and snacks.

On a macro scale, unused ingredients can be salvaged and upcycled to generate completely new products. This not only saves food but also conserves the natural resources that helped create it: water, land and energy.

Caroline Cotto, the co-founder and COO of Renewal Mill and board member of the Upcycled Food Association says that when food is wasted, all the resources that went into food - including land, water, en ergy and labor - also are wasted. When in gredients no longer needed by a food pro ducer can be upcycled for another product, the waste can be mitigated or eliminated.

Upcycled Certified™ is the world’s first third-party certification for upcycled food ingredients and products. The goal is to help consumers identi fy authentic upcycled ingredients, as well as the products made from them. According to the Upcycled Food Association, to be certified, a food must adhere to the above mentioned three cri teria and provide proof of a tangible carbon-reducing benefit.

A Conversation with Turner Wyatt

It was inspiring to have a conversation with Turner Wyatt, CEO of the Upcycled Food Association. He emphasized that food waste is a major contributor to climate change, but also explained how each of us can make a difference to heal the environment. Here are some key takeaways:

• 99% of people agree that food waste is a problem.

• 95% of people are willing to take action to solve that problem.

When it comes to food waste, anything is better than a landfill situation, where food decomposes anaerobically. This means it de cays over a long period of time in a non-oxygenated environment, a process that creates methane - a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more potent than CO2 (carbon dioxide.).

People need to think more critically about how to get the best value from food. Only after food cannot be used for any other purpose would it be composted, either in a backyard pile or a compact kitchen unit.

Good examples of how to upcycle food at home are to make vegetable broth from leftover scraps (i.e., carrot tops, onion skins, celery heels), or pita, bagel or tortilla chips from those leftover items. Only once waste is diminished should it be composted.

Food waste is an apolitical topic and one on which we can all agree. Even small children are taught not to waste food! At

The hope is that the Upcycled Certified ™ label becomes as ubiquitous as organic. There’s good reason for optimism; as of 2019, the upcycled food industry topped $46 billion a year and continues to grow at an annual rate of 5 percent, according to Forbes. In a world now replete with cor porate greenwashing, the seal is a way that consumers can discern the real from the rubbish. Says Ms. Cotto, “we are hoping that when people see the upcycled certifi cation, they make the connection between food waste and cli mate change. We want them to understand their purchase will help fight this waste.”

All this may sound like a tall order, but what could be more im portant than saving the Earth?

a point in time when many of us feel powerless over both the environment and the economy, our food choices, as well as how we dispose of the ensuing waste, can help us exercise power and reinforce the values we have about the world we want to sustain.

Education is the key. Currently, 3 percent of people know what upcycled means, but that number needs to be 100 percent. People need to know that they can make a positive impact on the envi ronment by their choices at the supermarket.

The Upcycled Food Association is currently a network of 220 busi nesses from 20 countries, worldwide. These companies work together to educate consumers about the advantages of upcycled foods, with consistent messaging provided by the Upcycled Food Association.

The Upcycled Certified ™ logo authenticates that a product has a meaningful impact on food waste prevention and achieving a positive environmental outcome. In fact, 74 percent of people will buy an Upcycled Certified ™ product over an uncertified ver sion of that product.

Businesses are increasingly seeking to improve their sustainability efforts by reducing food waste. Over 200 products in the U.S. are already certified, and approximately another 400 are in the pro cess, accounting for more than 800 million pounds of food waste prevention per year.

When ingredients no longer needed by a food producer can be upcycled for another product, the waste can be mitigated or eliminated.

Summer

It is a sultry day; the sun has drunk The dew that lay upon the morning grass; There is no rustling in the lofty elm That canopies my dwelling, and its shade Scarce cools me. All is silent, save the faint And interrupted murmur of the bee, Settling on the sick flowers, and then again Instantly on the wing. The plants around Feel the too potent fervors: the tall maize

Rolls up its long green leaves; the clover droops Its tender foliage, and declines its blooms. But far in the fierce sunshine tower the hills, With all their growth of woods, silent and stern, As if the scorching heat and dazzling light Were but an element they loved. Bright clouds, Motionless pillars of the brazen heaven— Their bases on the mountains—their white tops Shining in the far ether—fire the air With a reflected radiance and make turn The gazer’s eye away. For me, I lie Languidly in the shade, where the thick turf, Yet virgin from the kisses of the sun, Retains some freshness, and I woo the wind

Wind

BY WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT (1794-1878)

That still delays his coming. Why so slow, Gentle and voluble spirit of the air? Oh, come and breathe upon the fainting earth Coolness and life! Is it that in his caves He hears me? See, on yonder woody ridge, The pine is bending his proud top, and now Among the nearer groves, chestnut and oak Are tossing their green boughs about. He comes; Lo, where the grassy meadow runs in waves!

The deep distressful silence of the scene Breaks up with mingling of unnumbered sounds And universal motion. He is come, Shaking a shower of blossoms from the shrubs, And bearing on their fragrance; and he brings Music of birds, and rustling of young boughs, And sound of swaying branches, and the voice Of distant waterfalls. All the green herbs Are stirring in his breath; a thousand flowers, By the roadside and the borders of the brook, Nod gayly to each other; glossy leaves Are twinkling in the sun, as if the dew Were on them yet, and silver waters break Into small waves and sparkle as he comes.

Mareya Ibrahim is The Fit Foodie, a TV chef, holistic nutrition coach, author and award-winning entrepreneur and inventor. She is the author of “Eat Like You Give a Fork,” and a signature chef to the NY Times bestseller “The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life”. Mareya is the host of “Recipes For Your Best Life” Podcast and is a frequent guest on national cook ing shows. Connect with Mareya at mareyaibrahim.com.

LET IT GO, LET IT FLOW

Why it’s the perfect time to detox, and how to do it effectively

BY MAREYA IBRAHIM

There is nothing better than feeling like ev erything is running smoothly in your body. Like that humming Ferrari that looks and sounds like a perfectly sleek machine. You feel energetic af ter you eat, your tummy looks nice and flat, you get a restful sleep every night and your skin has never looked so radiant. Well, that would be an amazing scenario to talk about, right? The truth is most of us have a tough time checking all the boxes. Often, the well-oiled machine starts to feel a little clunky and run-down. Digestion slows and gas clogs up that once raring-to-go system. You feel a little (a lot) bloated. Your skin looks like you are going through puberty with splotches you haven’t seen in years. And you haven’t had a bowel movement in days.

If you couldn’t tell, we are about to drop some TMI. But stay with me. We are unclogging years of buildup, here.

Think about this. As an adult, your small intestine alone is about 23 feet stretched out! There’s a lot of room for food and waste to get trapped. Think about what happens when a drain gets clogged. It makes it extremely hard for anything to pass and the

same goes for your body. Often, people then suffer from ‘leaky gut syndrome,’ constipation and other associated digestive problems where your body can no longer absorb good nutrients anymore or eliminate efficiently. The system is proverbially backed up.

That’s a great cue for a detox. By definition, a detox is a clean sweep, a way to remove toxins and pollutants from your organs so that every thing functions optimally – kind of like a tuneup for your most powerful engine. Now, if only the way to do a cleanse was clear. If you search for ‘cleanse’ online, you will find 1,000 different variations, like fasting, drinking only juices, ab staining from sugar and alcohol and other riffs on the theme. For me in my coaching work, the cleanses that I’ve found to be the most successful not only restrict certain foods but also provide you with support to give your ‘filtration’ organs a detox. Imagine all the stress your body goes through every time you eat and drink, especially if you’ve been generous with heavy meats, dairy and fried foods – not to mention, alcohol?

Our goal is to oil the machine, food in, waste out and the faster the ‘elimination,’ (aka bowel movements) the better. The organs that primar ily support you in waste elimination include the intestines, liver, kidneys, heart and skin. By eliminating certain foods and beverages, and bulking up on others, you can help to increase your body’s ability to get rid of waste and benefit

from a more efficient system. Eating a diet high in fiber, lots of nonstarchy vegetables, plant-based fat and lean proteins with adequate water and warm liquids to help with digestion can make a big differ ence in your quest to lose weight, too. I’m not a big fan of cleanses that have you eliminate the act of chewing. This can all but devastate your metabolism because the trigger to digesting many foods is in your mouth with the excretion of saliva. If you focus on drinking juices, you may be sabotaging your body’s natural ability to burn fat. Unless a juice-only fast is something that your doctor has specifically advised you to do, I’m not a fan.

Selecting a cleansing supplement can also be highly effective as a

way to produce more bulk, provide essential nutrients, aid in elimi nation and helps the supporting organs detoxify. Milk thistle, en zymes, probiotics, minerals, fiber and essential amino acids are all wonderful ways to help the body:

• Flush itself out

• Allow for faster digestion

• Enhance better nutrient absorption

• Create an efficient waste removal system

With our eye on the prize, here’s what I recommend when think ing about doing an 8-day detox, which is an optimal amount of time to ‘prime the pump’ so to speak:

1Let

up on the gas:  In order to help get your system back on track, some things will have to leave your pantry and fridge.

Eliminate:

• All caloric sugar (including maple syrup, agave, coconut sugar, etc.)

• All breads and bread products (tortillas, bagels, pastries, muf fins, etc.)

• Cow dairy products

• Processed foods (packaged snack foods, bars, etc.)

• Alcohol

Eating a diet high in fiber, lots of non-starchy vegetables, plant-based fat and lean proteins with adequate water and warm liquids to help with digestion can make a big difference in your quest to lose weight.

•

Soda and fruit juice

• Anything with artificial sweeteners, colors or additives (these should probably leave your premises forever, and don’t let the door hit it in the booty)

2Fill up with clean fuel:  Fiber is your friend, protein is a must, good fat is not a foe – and hydration is king. Also, this is a won derful opportunity to bulk up on the foods that help you crave bitter, sour and umami flavors because they help your tastebuds reset, too. I will go into detail in my book,  Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive.

3Focus on fiber:  including single ingredient gluten-free super grains like amaranth, millet, quinoa and wild rice

Chicken sausage spelt and pepper skillet

4Enjoy the rainbow:  including all non-starchy veggies like bell peppers, artichoke, asparagus, cauliflower, radish, cucumber and cabbage – and take it all in because we eat with our eyes first, and that’s what satiates us from the jump.

5Get up on greens:  where you’ll get the biggest nutrient bang for your calorie buck and make the biggest impact on your tastebuds, too. Veggies are full of natural hydration, too.

up:  fermented foods are amazing for gut health, and you can get them from pickled foods (I have a great recipe for ‘quickles’ in my book that come together overnight), fermented soy products like miso and tempeh, and raw apple cider vinegar, which is featured in my Real Vital

6Probiotic

Fiber is your friend, protein is a must, good fat is not a foe – and hydration is king.

ity Tonic, which also includes cinnamon, ginger and lemon juice.

7Fill up on fats: focusing on high quality, plant-based fats like nuts, seeds, avocado and coconut will help you feel fuller longer and help with feeding your brain and organs

8Get your essential aminos: powering your engine efficiently means getting your essential amino acids from protein in every day, which can come from combin ing plants like beans and rice, quinoa, nuts and animal protein like wild caught seafood, grass fed beef and bison, and free-range chicken and eggs.

9

Hydrate well:  just as important as food is the quantity and type of liq

Need some extra support?

Jump into our FREE 14-Day Clean Eating Reset Tastebud Reset and Cleanse program by visiting chefmareya.com If you’re ready to dive into our Eat TO Thrive 8-week pro gram, where you’ll see the best results possible and get per sonal assistance from me, sign up at https://www.chefmareya. com/eattothrive and you’ll also receive a digital copy of my #1 release book, Eat Like You Give a Fork: The Real Dish on Eating to Thrive, FREE. Grab your accountability buddy – because we are always better together – and see you inside!

uids on which you are leaning. Enjoy my warm Real Vitality Tonic and Low So dium Umami Bone Broth with foods to help with digestion and lean on cold wa ter in between meals to keep things flow ing and boost your body’s natural metabo lism. Shoot for half your body weight in ounces of liquid daily.

10

Rest: Once you’ve eliminated the stuff that doesn’t serve you and add ed in the foods and beverages that support you, giving your body a break by getting enough sleep, easing tension through deep breathing and meditation, and letting go of the little things that just don’t matter gives your nervous system a chance to heal. That’s where the real work happens.

OCTOBER 1–2, 2022 | DENVER, CO

Join thought leaders, writers, innovators, and industry experts in Denver as we celebrate 20 years of telling the story of local food and explore the ideas, challenges and changes that will shape our food communities in the next decade and beyond.

For more information, visit edibleinstitute.com

Edible is pleased to announce Dr. Temple Grandin as our keynote speaker for this year’s Institute.

Dr. Grandin is a scientist whose ground-breaking work in animal behavior has helped shape standards of excellence for the humane treatment of animals around the world.