Ready to take the Plunge to Slave-Free Chocolate

I just wrote a whole long post ... and lost it. Grrrrr! It took me two days, too, what with kid interruptions.

So, short, less rational and less passionate version: I first heard about child/slave labor on cocoa farm here. It took me a while to really internalize that and decide to avoid child/slave labor chocolates, but now I have and I've been doing some online research. My biggest hang-up has been whether or not I need to avoid my favorite chocolatier, See's. Unless someone has already received correspondence from them, I'm going to write them and check.

There's a lot of back and forth you can read on this subject on the internet, and you can't believe everything you read, or just go with what comes up first on your google search. I've decided to believe that child/slave labor does indeed occur and that there is something however small that I can do about it. Why? Because the history of big business has depended on the exploitation of workers in the past and with political and social turmoil in the areas where cocoa is grown I wouldn't be surprised if it happened (Central African nations are of the most concern, though cocoa is also grown in Brazil and Central America-most of the slave rap focuses on Africa). Today I ran into this article, but it still leaves concerns about treatment of workers to me.

So, what to eat? Well, Consumption Rebellion has compiled a list/ranking of major chocolate companies that you can read here, though it is for Australia. I decided to check out the big players, and here's what I found:

Mars: Has a Cocoa plan thing; mostly focuses on environmental impact; depends on World Cocoa Foundation and International Cocoa Initiative - in CR's opinion these are meaningless in regards to actual working conditions, and I'm going with her viewpoint

Hersheys: Also has this Cocoa plan thing (lost the names and too tired to look them up; you can find them on each companies website); seems pretty similar to Mars; references WCF and ICI

Lindt: No mention whatsoever on website as to anything pertaining any of this as far as I could see

Nestle: Working toward Rainforest Alliance Certification by a certain year

So, it would seem from all this that of the big players, Nestle is doing the best. And it quite possibly is. I have a few concerns, mainly these:

1. One of Nestle's executives is on the Board for the Rainforest Alliance. Even if this doesn't mean their interfering now, I see this as a potential conflict of interest and compromises Rainforest Alliance's evaluation of Nestle.

2. Rainforest Alliance focuses mainly on environmental impact (which is great), but requires very little in the way of fair treatment/pay of farm workers. They don't permit child/slave labor, but due to reason #3, I'm not sure (especially 'cause I'm not sure if I read right) if this is a complete comfort.

3. Rainforest Alliance certification isn't very stringent; to get the logo only 30% of the product in question has to be certified (the actual percentage must be on the package). Why only 30%? Apparently they can't verify the sources for all of the product. Granted, they cover more than just cocoa, there are middle men, etc., but I still think that's silly. Also, from what I read, which I could be misinterpreting, it appears that the 30% in question only has to adhere to 50% of requirements. Again, not sure on that. Either way, too many loopholes. And big companies will find those.

I know some of these comments are knocking Rainforest Alliance. I think they are actually trying to work within the current system, and are actually finding a step that big companies will take, so I'm not completely opposed to Rainforest Alliance Certified products. With chocolate, though, I will only go for products with a high percentage of certified cocoa.

There is also Fair Trade and certain Organic Certified chocolate to take into account. I haven't done much research on the organic certified, and there are all sorts of organic certifications so that one is up in the air. I like what I've heard about Fair Trade. They operate with small business (which I like), and require much better payment/treatment of farmers and employees. I think that smaller business is more sustainable economically and also environmentally. Anyone who's ever had a garden and actually worked with the earth is more likely to make conscious decisions as long as their life isn't on the line.

As far as the differences between Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications, I like this article. Basically, they both have pros and cons. But, mostly, they're coming from different perspectives (environment and social ethics).

Hope this was informative! Now, go eat some chocolate and let it sink in. :)

AppleJuice Apocalypse and Nutty Nums (plus a Ricotta bonus)

Ok. Just wanted to share two quick oatmeal adventures, one good and one awful. Awful comes first.

Apple Juice Apocalypse: I wanted an apple taste in my oatmeal, but didn't want dried apple or to go through the trouble of cutting up a fresh one. I had some apply juice and thought, why not? Do not do this! For some reason, I didn't think of apple juice as an acid, but when you're talking milk, it totally is. And my milk curdled while it was cooking. So, instead of a lovely hint of apple, I ended up with icky acidic whey and chunks of milk. Sound gross? Well, it was.

Nutty Nums: This is a good story. Not a love story, but a good one. Nuts. Chopped and added as a protein and flavor booster right at the end. Lovely. I used almonds. They were pretty good, but I think walnuts or another soft, creamier nut work better. Either way though, a hint of vanilla and last minute nut add-in = a nice fulfilling breakfast.

Ricotta Bonus: So, I've been making my own ricotta. Or some kind of version of it. Here's what I do -

I heat milk to about 200 degrees F (just before boiling). I add lemon juice or vinegar by the teaspoonful until the milk starts to just curdle. I add one more teaspoonful, and end up with some nice blobs of "cheese." (I seriously doubt this is a real cheese because there's no culturing to it.) I hang it over a bowl in a floursack towel (my cheesecloth's holes were too big) for about 5-10 minutes and use immediately. Great in lasagna, or ricotta almond spaghetti with pine nuts*. A half gallon of milk makes probably 2 cups of ricotta, but I could be wrong.

*Ricotta almond spaghetti: boil some spaghetti; save some of the water. At the same time, make your "ricotta." Mix together ricotta, some ground almonds (1/2 C?), salt and pepper to taste, dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a few tablespoons of pasta water (helps sauce bind to pasta). Toss mixture with spaghetti, and add pine nuts. A nice autumn pasta.

Book, Art, Magazine organizers

I found this fun idea in a Family Fun magazine I was perusing while waiting for a doctor's visit. I'm using is to organize my children's coloring books, scrap paper, art supplies, etc. I found that only the absolutely honking big cereal boxes are big enough for most coloring books or construction paper to fit flat, so I also used an empty box that my garbage bags came in. I think it's a great way to recycle and organize at the same time. I bet kids would have fun painting them, too! Or if you wanted to put them up on a shelf, maybe paint them black and find some chalkboard paint (heard of it; never used it) to use on the spines for labeling.

Applesauce Adventuring

With apples going on sale here in SoCal (39 cents a pound at one store), I have adventured into the art of applesauce. I didn't look up any recipes. In fact, my only inspiration was an experiment on "Sid, the Science Kid."

I started by microwaving my apples, 'cause I figured that would break them down. I wasn't really thinking of the nutrients being mangled by micro-waves, but I did learn that even with sufficient water, the apple forms a little bit of a skin. So, microwave cooking is probably not the best. But the texture and taste after blending weren't too bad. I just had to add water.

Which pretty much left the stovetop. I next cooked them just enough and then ran the apples through a food processor. The resulting applesauce tasted more akin in texture to babyfood than applesauce. So, if you're making homemade babyfood, by all means run it through a food processor. It wasn't horrible, just not my favorite texture.



So, I just discovered tonight, after leaving the apples on the stove on medium for too long that they kind of fell apart in the pot. I spooned up some of the resulting breakdown. Low and behold it looked and tasted very much like real applesauce.


Perhaps just cooking it until the apple falls apart is the best method. And then maybe running over it with a potato masher or something. I am a bit concerned about the breakdown of vitamin C, though. Temperatures above 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 C) can break down vitamin C. Since boiling point is 212 degrees F (100 C), that would mean boiling the apples would deplete it's nutrition. So, other than leaving it on the stove on low for a really long time, I'm not exactly sure how applesauce can be made without affecting the nutrients.

As far as how long it keeps: in the fridge, not long enough for my family to go through a big batch (maybe 2 weeks); in the freezer, I'll let you know- I'm trying that this time. Please leave any advice you might have in the applesauce department. I could probably google it, but I'm not really looking for a recipe; just techniques.

Well, in other apple related ranting, I have a question: Do you think homemade applecrisp with fresh ingredients is healthier than a sugary kids cereal (say, Trix or Cap'n Crunch)? Kids cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, but they're also loaded with sugar. (And I just read somewhere that over-consumption of sugar can decrease the amount of certain minerals your body can take in. I just read it, so the source may not be valid, but honestly I believe it... hope I'm not wrong.) Applecrisp also has sugar, but most of the sugar is natural from the apples. And the topping I use also has oats in it. (I don't pay attention to fats unless they're hydrogenated; I feel like over-consumption of sugar is far more detrimental to my health than healthy fats.)

So, basically, which do you think is healthier for breakfast: applecrisp or kids cereal? I think you can all tell where my vote lies.

Me and Living Things

Due to comments about the freakiness of my amazing yellow spider (which found a new home or was eaten the day after I found him), I need to explain something: I have a degree in biology and I worked in field research on aquatic animals, including what I find to be the most grotesque and vicious living thing - dragonfly larva (they bite... hard). I have also lived in a home where a spider egg sac must have hatched on the kitchen table as I was reading and had a spider run across my bed while I was on the phone (bad landlord). Basically, I'm no stranger to close encounters of the creepy kind. And this was a truly beautiful spider.

I have developed a great appreciation for living things. I think I've always had it, but it has become more refined over time. For example, we've had some ants in our kitchen, and I wince every time I kill one. I know they shouldn't be there, but I can't help but feel their death is my own fault for my lazy uncleanliness. And in our house, we generally try to save spiders. If they are in a bedroom or too close to my kids, they die; I just can't run certain risks. I know a lot of people are scared of them, but ... have you ever watched a spider spin a web? It's one of the most beautiful, patient, and creative natural events I've ever seen.

I really love living things, but I must admit there is one creature that will never survive if it sets creepy feet in my home (if I see it, of course). That is a cockroach. I can stand dragonfly larvae, spiders, ants, worms, snakes, lizards, rats... but any cockroach I see is DOA. I recognize that cockroaches are amazing and resilient creatures that have a purpose and function in this world. I just don't want to see it and I don't want that purpose invading my territory. Luckily our new place doesn't have that issue.

So, what living creature really freaks you out? And what is the most inspiring natural scene you've experienced?

This is another spider we found in our yard. I believe it's one of the yellow agriopa species. It moved after a week or two to I don't know where. Or it was eaten. At first I was worried. But, after researching, I found out that agriopa build their nests so that they can be suspended in the middle in plain view, to deter larger animals from destroying their nests. And what decently intelligent animal wouldn't be wary of a 3-4" arachnid? They aren't horrifically poisonous. And since we could always see it, the girls knew to stay 4' plus away from it (thank goodness for instinct). I was almost sad to see it leave; I'm sure it kept a lot of pests away.

If you really want to see insects in a new way, see the season 1 Green Porno shorts on Sundance Channel. I cannot in good conscience 100% recommend them, 'cause while they may be about animals, hello, the name is Green Porno. Basically it is animal/insect sex explained/acted out. Some of them are very funny to me (the spider and the bee), and some are pretty mild (season 3 squid and sardine). But, if you're uncomfortable with the words penis and vagina, don't watch them. If you're uncomfortable with gender specific body suits, don't watch season 3 shrimp or season 1 snail. And do not watch the fly one unless you like horror!

My Lizard Friend and the Amazing Yellow Spider

This is my friend the lizard. We have lots of lizards around here, but this one will always be dear to my heart. Those you spend time on always are.

My daughters found this little guy (or girl) one day on the edge of one of my seedling containers. I was amazed at how close he let us get. Then they found him the next day. I thought he'd just found a nice spot that he liked. On day three, though, I knew something was amiss. I checked and realized he was caught by some duct tape I'd used to secure the container. I had accidentally left some of the tape exposed and his/her fine toes had been caught.

I cut the tape off and, wearing gloves, I carefully used a small knife to extract his body from the tape. It took about a half hour, but at the end, he/she only lost a few scales. I will never carelessly apply duct tape again.


This is a spider I barely noticed. One of my daughters had asked me five minutes before I noticed the spider if she could pick this particular flower. I'm so glad I told her no! Isn't this an amazing camouflage?

Homemade Deoderant/Antiperspirant

Sounds pretty loony, huh? But, I thought I'd give it a shot. I researched several recipes. The one I wanted to try was on the angry chicken blog; the one I ended up using was one one green generation's recipe. Except that I tweaked it. You can read on one green generation about her experience. Here's what I did:
1 part non-aluminum baking soda (I did 2 Tablespoons) to 4 parts corn starch (I did 8 tablespoons), add several drops of essential oil or, in my case, Trader Joe's lavender body oil.

Mix in a food processor. Put in a small jar (mine is a washed out lemon curd jar). Apply with a make-up pad, cotton ball, or knit/crochet a small cotton pad like the one I made.

I needed a bit more baking sodathan one green nation 'cause I guess I just have a stonger or more prolific smell. What I like about this is you can adjust the ratio of baking soda/cornstarch based on your body type. No rashes yet and I've been using this for a month. Hope it keeps working, 'cause it's way less expensive and works even on those very hot days.