LexFarm and Nourish Restaurant in Lexington are offering an opportunity to see the film “Genetic Roulette: the Gamble of our Lives”

Monday, June 10:  6:30 pm
Cary Memorial Library
1874 Mass. Ave, Lexington

The movie and refreshments are FREE, but seating is limited. Doors open at 6:30 with pre-film refreshments from Nourish Restaurant. Post-film discussion led by Jack Kittredge of NOFA/Mass.

Here is more information about the movie from the NOFA Mass May newsletter:

“Jeffrey Smith, last year’s NOFA Summer Conference keynoter, directed this powerful movie. It raises the question of whether the presence of GMO foods, increasing in the American diet since 1996, with their novel proteins (to which our immune systems have not become accustomed), has resulted in an epidemic of inflammatory diseases.

A number of doctors, clinicians,nutritionists, and other practitioners speak about their experiences with clients suffering from leaky guts, allergies, autoimmune diseases, autism, and other such conditions.They testify that the simple act of weaning these patients from GMO foods and getting them onto organic and non-GMO diets has resulted in miraculous “cures”. We also hear from parents with autistic or highly allergic children, and from farmers who have been feeding GMO feed to livestock.”

Go to any health food store and you will hear that flax seeds are good for you. High in omega-3 essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and lignans and other phytonutrients, these little seeds are filled with nutrients with antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. As a result, flax seeds are touted to help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, anxiety, insomnia, and much more.

They taste good, too. Sprinkle ground flax seeds over your cereal or in whatever you’re baking — you’ll notice a pleasantly mild nutty taste. (Don’t use too much if you’re not used to a high-fiber diet, though!)

You’ll also be enjoying part of our goats’ diet. At the LexFarm Goat Yard, we regularly give flax seeds to our goats. In fact, we vary the amount we give to our goats based on their temperaments, stress levels, physical condition, etc. For example, goats with more anxious personalities or greater nutritional needs (e.g., due to pregnancy) benefit from larger amounts of flax seeds.

So, next time you see flax seeds or flax seed products, think of our goats!

I’ve just tracked down the library code for vegetable-focused cookbooks: 641.65. Next time I’m at the library I’m going straight to that section to see what I can find.

Two of the cookbooks I consult most often I found first at the library. And then, because I got tired of avoiding fines—or trying to, I bought them (or asked for them for Christmas.) One of my all-time favorite cookbooks is Marian Morash’s “The Victory Garden Cookbook,” which was published in 1982. Cary Library has at least one copy available as I post this. I love the variety of excellent recipes and the storage and cooking tips sections that begin each chapter. But what is really good is its organization: It’s organized alphabetically by vegetable. Totally sensible and useful.

The second cookbook, which I received last Christmas, is “Mediterranean Fresh” by Joyce Esersky Goldstein. (Its library call number is actually in the 641.83s). What a book!  It is superbly cross-referenced by salad and salad dressing.  For example, you’ll find a salad focused on fresh greens with a suggested dressing and pointers to three or four alternate dressings. In the dressing section, you’ll see salads she recommends to use with each dressing. It’s not organized by vegetable, but that’s what its great index is for. If you, as I do, come home with bags full of fresh and sometimes unfamiliar vegetables you can consult either of these books and come up with something you’ll enjoy and maybe  have again and again.