A new ad spot is airing across the nation. Titled “To Our Leaders: Free Us,” it is produced by the We Campaign (wecansolveit.org) and it provides a very direct message to the nation as a whole. Embedded in this plea to our elected leaders is a compelling call to action reminding the rest of us that we must play an active role in supporting a total shift to clean, renewable energy. For this shift to occur, every one of us must mobilize to demand clean energy, from our representatives drafting legislation to the power utilities delivering service down “the last mile.”

The We Campaign’s mission is to spark this leap to 100% clean energy within 10 years. Such a dramatic change would have a tremendous positive impact on our environment and the economy (less price volatility and an explosion of “green-collar” jobs), and would demonstrate to the world at large that bringing about such massive change is both attainable and necessary.

If you are reading this blog, you probably don’t need to be convinced that we each exercise some form of power over our world, whether by “opting out” of the industrial norms that have transformed the very nature of food production over the last five decades,  or by “opting in” to the local and organic movements, creating prosperity and viability where very little existed just twenty years ago. Those two aspects of agriculture are separated by little more than a set of divergent beliefs.

Every other decision we’re faced with comes down to the same choices at some critical juncture. Fossil fuel v. clean energy is no different. The market exists for both, as does the technology. The pricing may not be equal everywhere yet, but it is rapidly finding equilibrium. The biggest obstacle may be our own indifference, or at worst, shortsightedness. As we’ve seen with “cheap” gasoline, a non-renewable resource is not sustainable and can’t persist for very long. If we don’t make the switch now, we’ll have little choice but to do so when fossil fuel prices (coal, natural gas, oil) have left us no alternative.

Here’s the ad:

On Monday, we were invited to appear live on the radio program “Eco-Ology,” hosted by Patricia Greer and Cath Conlon (KPFT, 90.1 FM Houston). During the interview we were asked to talk about our family’s decision to commit to local eating, as well as some the motivations and surprises we’ve had along the way. If you didn’t get a chance to tune in live, you can listen to the interview here. Enjoy!

100MileHarvest.com On the Air: Eco-Ology Radio Interview (KPFT) Here are some behind the scenes photos.

If you prefer, you can listen the interview by clicking this link.

David and Lori Crank

What was supposed to be a quick in-and-out visit to Oaks of Mamre Farm, turned out to be one of the most eye-opening experiences we have had.

Early on Saturday morning we called David and Lori Crank to let them know that we were heading to their farm in Hempstead, TX to buy free-range, pasture chicken and eggs. The farm is 60 miles from our home, but we had been thrilled to find out that the Cranks raise their chicken without the use of GMO (genetically modified) corn.

After a 50-minute drive, we pulled up to their farm gate and let ourselves in. We had to weave our way through a herd of goats that were leisurely enjoying the cool shade under tall oak trees that lined the driveway. Upon our arrival David and Lori greeted us with a smile. Immediately, they made us feel at home, and together we started walking around the property.

David led us to his processing facility, explaining the work that he and his family carry out together to produce 100-150 broiler chickens a week for customers in the greater Houston area. We first saw the “killing cones,” which are wall-mounted galvanized metal funnels.  Live chickens are placed head down in the cones, where the rush of blood to their heads pacifies them. He described how he goes from one cone to the next, piercing the jugular of each chicken, explaining that the inverted position allows the bird to fully bleed out. Adrian, in typical male fashion, asked why the chicken is not beheaded in one single stroke, and David explained that to decapitate a chicken would interrupt brain-heart activity, preventing total blood drainage.

After each bird has been bled, it is taken to the scalder, a large device used to soak the chickens in hot water (about 140 degrees Fahrenheit). This hot water treatment softens the muscles under the skin, making the feathers easier to remove. From the scalder, the chickens are then placed into an automatic plucker, a drum-shaped machine lined on all sides with rotating rubber “fingers” that handle feather removal in no time.

At this stage, Lori and her daughters take over, moving the freshly-plucked chicken to the eviscerating room. Here, they remove the internal organs on two large work tables. Water hoses are suspended from above, to facilitate the cleaning process.

Needless to say, it was fascinating to see this facility firsthand, finally understanding the steps involved in turning chickens into food.

We left this somber building, back out into the sunlight and proceeded toward the brooder house a few yards away. Inside, we ooohed and aaaahed as we took in the sight of the so many young chicks, peeping as they stumbled into one another. They were separated into groups according to their age, with some new arrivals and a batch that was ready to be taken to a newly cleared pasture the next day.

Outside, we met our free-range, pasture egg-laying hens. They were gathered in tight little groups under the oak trees.  They roamed freely, picking and scratching at the earth beneath their feet, eating grass, worms and bugs to their hearts’ content. In each group, a rooster held its head up high in a state of alert, observing us as we snapped photographs of their brood from just a few feet away. Lori commented on how the rotation of pasture allows the chickens to move from one field to another, getting all the nutrients they need from the land.

We also got to meet the most recent additions to their “family,” a young Holstein calf and Billie Ray, a long-eared Nubian goat.

But it was not just animal talk on the farm. After concluding our tour, our conversation shifted to more personal topics, everything from moving to the country to raising kids (human and otherwise).

Our biggest surprise was to learn that David and Lori had lived in Houston for many years, where David had been a corporate executive at American General Insurance. It was just over a decade ago that they decided to buy some land in Hempsted, with a future goal of making it their home. Within a couple of years that dream materialized and they found themselves learning the ins and outs of farming. They started with a few chickens and goats to sustain their family, and little by little, their operation expanded to include a greater number of animals. Now they raise chickens, turkeys, geese, and goats, offering broilers, eggs and goat milk.

When I asked if they knew what they were getting into in those early days, they laughed and affirmed that everything was a learning experience. From putting up their first fence, to planning, designing and building their own home. We were shocked. “You mean to tell us you actually built this house yourself?” to which Lori proudly replied, “Yes, it was David with a little help from his friends.” As the conversation continued they invited us inside to see their home and to cool down from the afternoon heat. Inside we sat and learned more about their family. They shared how they raised and homeschooled their children at a time when it was still considered illegal for parents to take education into their own hands. Through that commitment, they paved the way for those of us who can now legally consider homeschooling as an option.

On top of all the farm work, the Cranks make time to publish a quarterly newsletter which covers topics such as farming, retirement, parenting and homeschooling. Lori is also a contributor to the newsletter. In an article titled “Cook for a Day – Eat for a month,” she explains how she cooked 30 meals in one day. That article alone is enough to convince me that she is truly a superwoman. I wish I had half her energy and devotion to get through my household chores.

That afternoon we took home more than chicken and eggs, we also came away with valuable lessons about family and life. We had been in the presence of a family who chose to live on their own terms, raising their standards of living in the process.

They are both amazing people. They exude a sense of peace and happiness that we all aim to experience. They have devoted their lives to God and their family. They are loving parents to 6 homeschooled children (4 of whom are adults now). They are committed to running their farm sustainably. And they are active contributors to their community. One can’t help but admire how this family has achieved their dreams.

Note: The Cranks can be found at the Houston Farmers’ Market every Tuesday from 3:30-7:00pm, at the Rice University stadium parking lot. If you would like to subscribe to their newsletter, Unless the Lord… you can contact david.crank@pdq.net.

Enjoy the photo gallery of our visit.

This was an exciting weekend for me. Adrian came back from a business trip in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, my hometown, and he brought with him a suitcase full of goodies. I was ecstatic as he pulled out each item from his luggage.

Solid Unrefined Cane Sugar

The goods:

• 4 bags of organic, fair trade coffee
• 3 bags of red beans
• 1 bag of chinapopa beans
• 1 unrefined solid cane sugar
• 1 bag of cumin
• 2 bunches of dried chamomile
• 2 bags of peppercorns
• 1 bag of cacao powder
• 1 bag of cinnamon sticks

A new world of possibilities has opened up to us with all the spices. I won’t have to worry about pepper for a while, and it’s nice to have cinnamon and cacao powder.

I’m also looking forward to incorporating the beans into more vegetarian meals. Of course, Adrian is most pleased about having found coffee. He has already brewed his first pot (thumbs up!).

Click here to view the photo gallery.

We just completed our third fitness evaluation, and the results are simply amazing. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that for so many years, we’ve been consistently healthy eaters, and have had trouble maintaining a lean physique. While Maggie has always been much more successful than me at remaining trim, it was usually the result of her willpower and general ability to cut out or reduce consumption of carbs or sweets periodically. Being a natural bread lover, I could never keep to those constraints, nor did I ever try. So for the last 6 years, I slowly gained weight.

We’ve been eating locally for 10 weeks now, and in that time I have already lost 29 pounds. On May 11, I started at 212 pounds, a weight that seemed locked in and immovable for the last 6 months, even with semi-regular visits to gym. On July 31, at our third fitness evaluation, I weighed in at 183 pounds.

These changes have all taken place during a period in which I have eaten the most delicious home-cooked meals in memory (no doubt a result of the freshness of the season and even a dash of culinary experimentation). And we’ve placed no limits on our consumption of food – no calorie counting here. We eat to our hearts’ content at each meal, and enjoy fruit snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon (and usually at other times of the day and night).

So, in many ways, these benefits are manifesting as side effects of our decision to live sustainably. What I tried to accomplish all these years in terms of weight management eluded me until we made the simple decision to eat only a local, seasonal diet. I don’t doubt that I owe much of this progress to having eliminated packaged and processed foods. Or, that by taking meal preparation into my own hands, I’ve created healthier meals and eating behaviors.

And that is it – the “secret” to my transformation.