“Bananas are the single most profitable item passing through the check-outs in British supermarkets, accounting for 1% of all sales. In the USA, it is estimated that bananas represent 2% of the total turnover of North American grocery retailers.”
- Banana Link, “Supermarkets“

You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you’re grocery shopping and something seems too good to be true? Like a mango for less than a dollar, or a handful of kiwis for less than your bus fare? There’s a reason for that. It is too good to be true.

I’m sure a lot of you already know the food industry is messed up, and for the most part, we only see the benefits. In grocery stores it translates to lower prices, while the story behind the scenes is never as pleasant. Of course, how deep into that tangled mess you choose to go is usually a matter of how much guilt you want to associate with that fresh pineapple, or how easily you can convince yourself that the winter where you live means lots of preserves and root vegetables instead of fresh produce. Sure, you can choose to buy fair trade when possible, and maybe even focus on local products, but as a vegan there are plenty of things you should be eating that probably will not grow in your backyard.

So, that nagging feeling in my stomach is sometimes pushed aside for the sake of the benefits an imported product would provide me. One of the major ones would be bananas. I grew up eating them, and they still make cereal seem a little healthier every morning. Since I’m not a nutritionist, and I arguably don’t know enough for my own diet concerns, let alone someone else’s, I’m not going to say bananas are a necessary part of one’s diet. However, I have been led to believe that they are ridiculously healthy for you, and pack one hell of a nutritional punch in a small package. A lot of times, bananas are one of the only non-local things I buy, and coming from Newfoundland that means a lot of carrots and potatoes with the occasional Canadian apple.

Thus, when I started digging a little deeper into the background of the little yellow wonder, I was not surprised to find out the true reasons why they remain so cheap throughout the year, no matter how far they travel.

Bananas – globalissues.org

The Banana Trade War – globalissues.org

Banana Link

Sadly, I’m not sure what the solution is. I just felt the information was useful, and it should be something you think of every trip to the produce aisle.

Roger Ebert’s reviews are pretty much a part of my life. I can’t say I follow them closely, but I came to know the man based solely on whether or not he raised a thumb in regards to a movie. Of course, in the past few years I have learned a lot more about him, and I think I’ve come to respect him in many ways. The Esquire piece was what did it for me, and reading his review of Forks Over Knives today added a little more to that.

Granted, he seems to speak more about the message of the movie than the actual movie itself, but isn’t that the point of a film like this? Personally, I have yet to see it, and given where I live I’m unsure if I will get the chance until it makes its way onto iTunes or something similar, but knowing that more people are talking about their diet suggest to me that Forks Over Knives is already a success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijukNzlUg

It’s finally spring – one of my favourite times of year. The scent of a warm breeze on your face. The sight of little green shoots coming up in the garden beds. The promise of fresh foods in the coming months. It’s almost enough to forget what the deep, dark winter months were like. Almost enough – but not quite. Shaking the last few lentils out of the bag, farm share boxes getting lighter and lighter, and grocery bills soaring as more imported veggies make their way into the basket. During Canadian winter, when all sensible farms have gone into hibernation, good vegetables can be hard to come by. However, if you’re not afraid to get a little dirt under your nails, there are a couple of ways that you can have fresh greens on relatively short notice any time. Good to supplement salads, add to green juice, or bulk up your sandwiches, microgreens aren’t difficult to grow, have a low start-up cost, and are super nutritious.

Whether you’re looking at growing a few garlic chives to spice up your soup, or a tray of crunchy pea sprouts, the start-up kit is the same. You’re looking at a few trays, a bag of soil, some plant spectrum fluorescent lights, seeds, and you might also want a misting bottle. Trays can come from anywhere. I got mine from a local farmer, but they can often be found in gardening stores or anywhere that sells bulk farming supplies. However, they can also be repurposed from soy milk containers, margarine tubs, soda bottles, berry containers from supermarkets – the list goes on. Be creative! It’s easy to make these on a budget. The most important thing is that there is drainage in the bottom – so get out those multitools and put your awl to work, or find something else that’s pointy, and make sure to punch lots of holes in the bottom.

- Submitted by Melissa Legge

That’s right, the next issue of T.O.F.U. will be providing you some great tips on growing your own herbs, vegetables and fruit in your humble abode. We’re hoping to get your green thumb working, not only through the digital pages, but in some real dirt.

7 Reasons I Never Went Vegan (raptitude.com)

I’m sure some of you might come across a reason or two that actually led to you going vegan, or maybe you will read the post and nod your head in agreement as you recognize a few things that might have turned you away from veganism had you encountered them yourself.

Luckily, despite some of the well-meaning (yet failed) efforts of some vegans, it seems David Cain has found his own reason to try being vegan and, as of yesterday, he’s going to see how he likes it for thirty days.

So, we here at T.O.F.U. want to wish David luck, and are happy to see that he is going to give it a shot!

However, despite the abundance of evidence against Keith’s book, one thing that stuck with me was her argument about farming’s inability to truly be a vegan endeavour. Even when labelled organic, there can be plenty of issues with how your vegetables are grown, and in a lot of cases, the methods are not truly vegan. Regardless of how deep you go into the muddy soil of logic, many farming practices use animal inputs to maintain a balance. These inputs, which will most likely not show up on your ingredients list, can come from a variety of sources, and most are not the kinds of places you care to see your money go.

So, where does a vegan turn when they don’t want their vegetables to be raised on the products of animals they themselves work so hard to avoid? If you ask Lierre Keith, “starvation” seems to be the answer. Luckily, if you ask a growing group of people around the world, “veganic” may be the consensus. One vegan, Helen Jupiter, found this out recently, and she took the time to post about it on ReadyMade:

Growing Vegan Vegetables, Part 1

Growing Vegan Vegetables, Part 2

So, it looks like you might be able to get your hands dirty this spring in a way that doesn’t leave a mark on your ethics. Plus, according to Helen’s articles, it seems we here in North America have T.O.F.U. contributor, Stéphane Groleau as one of the people to thank for it! Not only that, but the fruits of his labour also provided the beautiful picture at the top of this article, which seems like a good harvest from a process that some consider to be impossible.

VeganQuebec | Veganic Garden Info | Eco-rdeon | Facebook

In one word, why are you vegan?
Foodfriendsanimalsearthlovelife

How long have you been vegan?
I became vegan in 2001. That’s about ten years ago!

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Couscous?
Quinoa would win! It’s healthier and more nutritious than couscous, and quinoa can replace couscous in recipes. We can even eat quinoa raw by sprouting it. Couscous doesn’t sprout very well!!!

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
I think I would lead a revolution in a quiet wood…

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
I don’t think a revolution can be televised or a Facebook event. A revolution needs to be enacted! Though, a Facebook event could help.

Favourite vegan thing in your town?
The vegan potluck we organize each month!

Reality TV Reaches the Battery Cage (anonymous.org.il)

So, whether or not you were aware of the horrible conditions in factory farms, this is a reality show everyone should see for at least a few minutes. The lack of edits and half naked people alone makes it more realistic than the majority of “reality” television these days, and it might even make it a little more effective than a lot of AR campaigns as well.

Wait, so first we kill far more pigs than normal because of a Swine Flu scare, and now we’re going to start trucking the little guys from Nova Scotia to Ontario because the plant in NS could not “source” enough living animals to continue running, but Larsen has contracts to honour?

Yeah, that’s an industry I want to play a part in. Keep up the good work. I’m going to the Sprout.