增加粮食

南希·布舍尔著

“没有食物是这样的,我冷淡地回答道，同时把勺子倒着拿着，向我好心的妈妈证明燕麦片很恶心，不值得我吃. The clump of oatmeal remained suspended in space, 盘旋在我刚刚捡起的土堆上——无视地心引力，创造了一个持久的小插曲，我妈妈喜欢分享，以证明我的固执和我的一点冷幽默. 

多年来, 我一直认为燕麦片是最令人讨厌的食物，而且总是对人们愿意吃这种糊状的糊状食物来增强自己感到惊讶, and within hours of waking no less. 每当我在PBS的节目中看到一个可怜的孤儿吞下灰色的粥时，我就会想:燕麦片. I understood that it was supposedly good for me just as the canned green beans, limp and gray on my plate, 我父亲坚持要我在离开餐桌之前吃完，因为它们对“让我的胸部长出毛发”是必不可少的.” Not a huge incentive for me at seven years old. Despite my parents’ best intentions, I rejected the flavorless oatmeal muck and fed the soggy, slimy beans to our loyal dog, 杜克大学, perched in the front yard, 急切地想要吃那些从我们的胶木餐桌旁窗玻璃上的一个洞里分发出来的零食. 

直到我上大学——差不多二十年后——我在贝灵汉的Old Town Cafe和一个朋友坐在桌子对面，他点了燕麦片(好像他们要为这种折磨买单似的)?) that I witnessed the leveling up of this humble grain. The dish arrived with a bowl of steamy rolled oats, their leaf shape clearly declaring their actual natural origin, accompanied by a small pitcher of milk, another small pitcher of maple syrup, and two tiny bowls of walnuts and raisins. 惊呆了, 我看着桌子变成了一个口味实验室，我的朋友创造了他们自己完美比例的杰作:把牛奶倾泻到山上, swirling the syrup in a sweet stream along the ridges, raining the raisins into the moat of milk and sprinkling chunks of walnuts over it all. 这是什么魔法?!

每一勺, they captured a representation of each element, balancing crunch and chew and warmth and sweet. 这比我妈妈用热水和红糖混合的贵格速溶燕麦要好得多. These two dishes were barely related in my eyes, (听着你选择的鼓舞人心的音乐)可能性的大门敞开了, and a world of oatmeal was revealed in all of its grainy glory! Thus, began the love affair. 

我现在最喜欢的, 每次我们的大宗商品降价时(提示:地球日和感恩节前)，我都会备货的是蒙大拿磨坊生产的7粒麦片片, with more textures and flavors than straight-up oats thanks to the rye, 拼写, 和大麦. While I want to be a part of the overnight oat cult, I just don’t have the foresight for that level of planning. I’m the – water with a dash of salt, add the oats and frozen berries, then bring to a boil and cover – kind of gal. 我不测量，因为我十几岁的儿子们把量杯错误地藏在奇怪的地方，我找不到结果, so I add more water or oats as needed. I throw in lots of other random things too: cardamom, 可可粉, 杏仁中提取, 多年来，我发现的所有散装食品都在我的早餐碗中起到了辅助作用. Chunks of dehydrated apricots, 枸杞, 芒果, 小红莓, 醋栗-是的, they go into the pot to soften and add their tart sweetness. The star of the show is the crunch factor with hazelnuts (let’s call them filberts, 虽然, because that’s the nerdiest nut name ever, or you can call them cobnuts if you really want to confuse folks) and cocoa nibs, with their slight bitterness, complement each other in perfect harmony. 

Personally, I am not an oatmeal mixer. And honestly, I judge you harshly if you are. I prefer the island and moat approach, clearly imprinted by my awakening. I sometimes add a bit of butter to melt on top because FAT IS FLAVOR, before I add the cold milk and syrup and toss toppings on with abandon.

回来 when our boys were young, my husband decided in an early morning moment of wanting to help, to make the oatmeal and he 混合 the oatmeal into a sludgy stew! He set the bowls down on the table, and I met the eyes of my eldest across the table. We exchanged the glance of “we are in this together,我发现自己陷入了一个不舒服的难题，要么接受一份无法接受但经过深思熟虑的礼物，要么得到一碗完美的未经混合的燕麦粥. 我非常感谢他, showed him the correct way to construct our preferred oatmeal experience, 就像柠檬变成柠檬水一样，我们第二天早上把被拒绝的燕麦片变成了松饼.  

In the years that I’ve shopped and worked at the Co-op, I have been able to up my oatmeal game to new staggering levels. 是的, I have even explored the savory side with curry and bacon bits. I double dog dare you to try it. I’m shameless in what I will attempt because I believe that with food, 好奇心是女王，挑战我们相信的事情总是接近生活的好方法. Plus, our bulk section makes the adventure affordable and fun.

While my parents grabbed what they 虽然t was best, and perhaps what was easiest for them to access at the moment, 现在几乎每家杂货店都能买到有机食品和天然食品. 现在，你可以买到农场直接生产的青豆，然后生吃，在我看来这是最好的方式. But is organic the highest standard? 一些人想知道，随着大公司的不断涌现，有机种植的精神是否还能保持下去, usually lured by increased profit. 是的, using fewer pesticides is a good thing, full stop. Every single purchase of organic products is better for the person growing it, 收获它, 准备它, 然后吃. 然而,, 单一栽培(一种作物的种植面积)是保护农田和支持生物多样性的最佳方式吗? 问题,问题.

At a recent staff training about Herb Pharm, a great regional company that formulates, 生长, 生产我们最畅销的液体草药提取物，比如非常受欢迎的焦虑安抚剂, I learned they were recently certified by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (check out regenorganic.org). Regenerative farming practices have been around forever, literally since the first seed sprouted because it is nature’s design to regenerate. Lots of folks continue to utilize these practices. 现在, we just have a set of definitions and an agency to certify growers, so consumers can have more faith in their purchases. Things like companion planting, 免耕, 覆盖种植是一些较为熟悉的再生技术，旨在提高产量并减少对其他类型病虫害管理的需求. 

We are seeing more and more larger wellness brands, 比如盖亚药草, 古代营养, 和新的篇章, adopt these practices on their own farms or seek out farmers with this approach, and not just for the economics. 大约20年前, a study was published (Science, 2004年6月)，该报告估计，通过吸收更多的碳，改善表土质量可以抵消全球15%的化石燃料. 即使是大公司也在寻找减轻对气候影响的方法，因为你的购物钱会给他们带来反馈, 为了产生全球影响，我们需要雀巢和通用磨坊等公司继续支持再生农业.

总有一些公司的内在价值接近他们的底线, like our newest local line in 健康, Alluvial Farms from Everson, that 生长 hemp and hogs using regenerative farming practices. 他们在局部止痛药膏中使用牧场养猪的猪油，所以你可以为支持当地生产商感到高兴，然后在你使用他们的止痛产品后感觉更好. 是的, 你可以找到很多优秀的人，他们花时间创造出以诚信为导向的产品, 而那些更受利润驱动的公司正在把注意力转移到获取你的现金上. 通常很难知道这是一种绿色营销策略，还是他们真的言行一致.

This can feel disingenuous and a little slimy, 这就像一碗你不想吃的冷燕麦，因为它尝起来像糊状物, we all ate the paste at some point). And, you know what, sometimes we just got to eat it. 每次慢速咀嚼EWWW时，我们可能会张大鼻孔，做鬼脸，但我们还是吃了它. Sometimes we can’t afford local and organic food.  Sometimes we buy from a company that makes us cringe a bit. 有时，我们甚至可能会遇到一辆狡猾的微笑面包车来拜访我们，把周围没人卖的晦涩产品送到我们这里.

我们很幸运, 我们也有机会进入皇冠博彩，对最好的选择表示支持. You get to pick the next success story. You get to create conversations in money-meetings and sway corporations, and I appreciate that about you. 你在Co-op花的每一美元，都是在为我们希望曾孙体验的世界投下一票, and that gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling because have you seen my great-grandbaby, Avani? 她是温暖和模糊的定义，她应该继承一个美丽和丰富的地球. 我迫不及待地想教她怎么用从她最喜欢的商店买的新鲜香蕉做燕麦片, 我们的合作.