...if you have a backyard and a kitchen, this blog might be for you!

a chronicle of tips and recipes on everything from gardening to canning and baking your produce, even if you're planted in suburbia...in fact, especially if you are planted in suburbia.



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Following May Be Unsuitable for Some Viewers

...due to the YUCK factor. 
From those of us who like to eat our food in the "purest" form and who shop purposefully to approximate garden fare when homegrown produce is out of season, the following question arises:
What the heck is on my lettuce?

Sadly, the answer just might be:  modified atmosphere packaging or MAP for short.  These are edible coatings applied to vegetables to slow spoilage--and they are applied to organics as much as anything else.  According to a blogger quoted in the following article: "Gelatin is ... extracted from the boiled crushed bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, chicken, and pigs"  and then is used as a "plasticizer" for various vegetables. 
If you're interested in more information on this Fear Factor ought-to-be, I highly recommend you read the following link:
  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/08/that-isnt-wax-on-your-organic-apple.aspx?e_cid=20120219_WNL_art_1

While it may seem alarmist of me to draw attention to the subject, some concern has been voiced that these edible films pose a potential health hazard and could lead to growth of food-borne pathogens if they are not applied correctly.  Better to be infrmed, I say.

Happy--no, not happy.
I'm afraid it's just yuck today...
But tomorrow, we'll perk things up a bit. I can only be depressed about food options for so long, and then I need a break!

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