Margaret Gray, Author of “Labor and the Locavore: The Making of a Comprehensive Food Ethic” - 05.07.15

This week, my guest on the Progressive Radio Network is Margaret Gray, an Associate Professor at Adelphi University in Political Science, and author of; Labor and the Locavore: The Making of a Comprehensive Food Ethic. Margaret, or Maggie, as her friends call her, took a long look at the local food movement, to see whether the unfair labor practices, that exploit immigrants and are rampant in factory farms and industrial agriculture operations, are also prevalent in small family farms in our local Hudson Valley food movement. I was very surprised and disappointed to find out that many of the same exploitative practices,  where undocumented workers from Mexico and Central America endure horrible living conditions, and live in fear of getting fired or deported if they so much as ask for a raise. And these local farms are the farms supplying our CSA’s, farmers markets and sustainable restaurants. Please join me on Thursday to learn more about how we can all help to make the Good Food Movement a movement that incorporates fair labor practices into the concept of a Sustainable Food Movement. By the way, fair labor practices is built into the tag line of the Slow Food Movement: Good Clean and Fair!  Just another reason why I love the Slow Food Movement!

Roasted Butternut Squash Coconut Cream Soup

2 Butternut Squash, cut in half, seeds removed 1 Tbs minced garlic 3 Tbs minced ginger 2 t. salt 2 t. cardamon 3 t. cumin 2 t. curry powder ½ t. cinnamon 1 t. tumeric

Juice of 2 limes 1 Onion, chopped 4 carrots, chopped 2 potatoes, cut into chunks 1 can coconut milk ¼ cup maple syrup (optional) 12 cups water Parsley or cilantro (optional)

Lay out the Butternut Squash, cut side down, on an oiled roasting pan. Bake at 375 for 1 hour, until squash is soft. Meanwhile, in large stock pot, sauté the onion, carrots ginger and garlic in a little olive oil. Add the spices and lightly toast for 2 minutes. When the butternut squash is ready, scrape out the pulp, leaving behind the skin, and add pulp to the stock pot. Add enough water to cover the squash by 3” inches, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and with an immersion stick, puree the soup until smooth. Return to stove, and add the coconut milk and lime juice. If the soup is too thick, add some more water. Add the maple syrup, if desired. Adjust spices and salt to taste. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.