Tastemakers: The Spinach Scare - Sam Smith‘s Organic Ale

Sept. 27, 2006

The Spinach Scare & Organic Food
Popeye is looking a little weaker these days. With a recent E. coli bacteria outbreak attributed to fresh spinach, the green leafy veg-etable is pretty scarce these days. Recalls have resulted in all fresh spinach being pulled from store shelves with some outlets even pulling canned and frozen spinach.
California farmers sell $115 million of spinach a year and Americans buy about $250 million of fresh spinach annually. The popularity of spinach as a health food has prompted California growers to increase acreage devoted to the crop by 63% to 31,000 acres last year.
If you are unwilling to give up spinach, just be sure to cook it to 160 degrees, the temperature that E.coli is killed at. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause and whether the taint occurred in the field or during processing.
All of this is going to result in more interest in organic and locally-grown and raised food.
Natural Selection (the largest processor of spinach) has stated that the contaminated product came from conventionally grown spinach, not from their organic line.
A little over a year ago my family decided to improve our eating habits. We began searching out organic products and purchasing locally-grown products at area farms and farmers markets. In a few months we found ourselves with more energy and noticed that we had lost a few extra pounds. We stay away from processed foods. At first our grocery bill was higher, but once we learned how to plan and purchase we actually are spending less and enjoying our meals more.
“If there was ever a case for buying local and knowing who grows the food you eat, this is it.” says Tim Young, owner of Food For Thought, one of the region’s certified organic farms.
In 1990 the federal government created guidelines for organic farming and there is now an in-depth process to become certified. Organic farming is an alternative to conventional or chemical farming and has been proven to reduce greenhouse gases and reduce groundwater contamination. So if you have not already given the world of organic food a try, seek out local growers. Get to know the people who raise the food you eat. It might just save your life.
www.michiganorganic.org

Sam Smith’s Organic Ale
The popularity of “organic” has found its way to the beer and wine world in recent years. Several brewers are producing beers using certified organic ingredients.  Samuel Smith Old Brewery at Tadcaster in Yorkshire, England, remains as one of England’s few independent breweries. Their products consistently are on most connoisseur’s top 10 lists. Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale is my personal all-time favorite and what I’d choose “if I am stuck on a deserted island and could only have one beer with me beer.” So it would only make sense that they would be among the first to produce an organic beer.
Sam Smith’s Organic Ale is certified by the USDA-accredited California Certified Organic Farmers. The ale pours reddish-copper and stands up with the best English style ales. The “organics” has given this brew an intense fruit flavor profile.Expect notes of fresh picked, crisp red apples, grapes and plums in both the nose and on the palate.  Also, if you are a vegan, this and all Sam Smith’s brews are approved and registered with The Vegan Society. Pair with shellfish, or free-range chicken broiled with olive oil and fresh herbs. For vegans try with spicy dishes such as curried tofu or spicy Mediterranean stew (Google for recipes).
Several brewpubs are also producing organic ales. In Kalamazoo, Kraftbrau offers a Summer Moon Organic Ale and in Northern Michigan at Shorts Brewery in Bellaire try the Golden Rule made with 100% organic two-row malted barley and enormous doses of Organic New Zeeland Pacific Gem hops.