I’m always amused by PR efforts to demonize organic farmers. When I started Real Food Daily in 1988, there was no USDA National Organic Program. Organic farming was more of a novelty. Today organic farming is a burgeoning segment of modern agriculture innovating cost effective methods for dealing with pests and plagues, often more successful than petro-chemical solutions. Organic farming has flourished on its own in contrast to Agri-Business’s dependence on government “welfare” to pay for their unsustainable petro-chemicals. This week one of my restaurant guest brought to my attention an article in the New York Times December 31, 2011 titled: Organic Agriculture May be Outgrowing its ideals.

In this work, writer Elisabeth Rosenthal asserts that organic farmers are depleting the water supply in southern Baja California. As fate would have it, one of the subjects in the article is my brother-in-law Larry Jacobs; one of the pioneers in organic farming who helped small family farmers save their livelihoods and elevate their standard of living by connecting them to markets like mine here in Los Angeles, San Francisco and beyond.

I agree with Rosenthal about the value of locally sourced produce and eating “seasonally.” My macrobiotic cooking background eschews the health benefits of local and seasonal foods. But there is tremendous value in organic farming methods, far beyond the obvious of not having pesticides sprayed on our food. Organic agriculture builds soil fertility and manages crops without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic chemical fertilizers that harm our environment. I’d rather buy organic from a farmer further away than support a local farmer dumping dangerous substances into my neighborhood. As for the impact of transporting cherry tomatoes from southern Baja, the Del Cabo co-operative piggybacks much of their product on the otherwise empty cargo hulls of airplanes carrying tourists to and from the resorts in Los Cabos. The carbon foot print of transporting some organic cherry tomatoes is infinitesimal compared to flying resource indulgent tourists in and out of Los Cabos.

Curious to find out if organic farmers are really depleting the water table in southern Baja, I called Larry. Being the scientist he is, Larry pointed to published research on the topic that verifies his empirical experience having farmed in southern Baja for over 30 years. As it turns out, Rosenthal and the New York Times got some key facts wrong on this story and misled their readers as to the value and importance of organic farming.

Some facts: A published academic study of water use in Los Cabos verifies that agriculture (conventional and organic combined) consumes only 28% of the water while most of the remaining 72% is sucked up by resorts and golf courses. Next time you fly into Los Cabos, look down at all those green golf courses and resorts. There are now more resort hotel rooms in Los Cabos then there are organic farmers in all of America! While the resorts and golf courses enjoy unlimited supply of water, the local residents must endure frequent water rationing, (see Tom Laskawy’s piece on Grist) golf courses use water wasting overhead sprinklers to irrigate while the organic farmers have innovated water saving drip irrigation systems. The golf courses and resort hotels with their obscene demand for scarce resources wreak havoc on the natural environment and turn local residents into veritable servants to an opulent culture from another land.

When I spoke with Larry he explained that, “ Del Cabo farmers started focusing on sustainability and water consumption twenty five years ago when they began converting open canal irrigation to micro-irrigation systems. We were the first farmers in Mexico to implement technologies that conserved significant quantities of water. Instead of being recognized as pioneers in organics and sustainability, the New York Times’ piece makes us out as destroyers of the world when nothing could be further from the truth. Worst, the Times piece completely ignores the enormous benefits from organic farming to public health and the environment. The real story is how an innovative business model successfully converted an entire county to organics, (almost all farms are organic in Los Cabos), and raised income levels of what were subsistence farmers, ten times so that today they have the same economic options as you and me.

I’d like to see some investigative reporting on how much of our tax dollars goes to subsidize agri-business instead of half-baked misleading reporting on water use by organic farmers. Without our tax dollars the cost of petro-chemically grown produce (aka: conventional) would be astronomical. I’d love it if you’d investigate that Ms. Rosenthal!

This blog was first posted on The Huffington Post on January 6, 2012.

My family and I enjoyed cooking and eating from “other people’s cookbooks.” Same way we like to eat at “other people’s restaurants.” Both are deliciously fun! I’ve come up with my own list of fave cookbooks that I cooked the most from this year. Innovative recipes, gorgeously photographed food, educational information and funny anecdotes made these cookbooks inviting and accessible. I have a great appreciation for my colleagues who put their dynamic energy in both their writing and cooking. Hope you’ll enjoy these books as much as I have.

• Big Vegan: More than 350 Recipes, No Meat/No Dairy All Delicious by Robin Asbell and Kate Sears
“A big book of recipes and information made from joy.”

• Vegan Holiday Kitchen: More than 200 Delicious, Festive Recipes for Special Occasions by Nava Atlas
“Another thoughtful cookbook from an author whose passion I always feel.”

• Spork-Fed: Super Fun and Flavorful Vegan Recipes from the Sisters of Spork Foods by Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg
“Fun colorful book from two fun colorful sisters in my hometown.”

• Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food for the Body and Soul by Julie Hasson
“These recipes capture the spirit of the independent Southern diners I grew up eating in.”

• Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body, and Planet by Christy Morgan
“Make the recipes in this book and you’ll find eating healthy can be blissful, tasty and delicious too.”

• Vegan’s Daily Companion: 365 Days of Inspiration for Cooking, Eating, and Living Compassionately by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
“Not only did Colleen created this beautiful book but she also published a second book this year called the 30-day Vegan Challenge. Hats off to Colleen for inspiring people to look at what and how they eat.”

• Ani’s Raw Food Asia: Easy East-West Fusion Recipes the Raw Food Way by Ani Phyo
“These recipes are as creative and deliciously tasteful as Ani is herself.”

• Candle 79 Cookbook: Modern Vegan Classics from New York’s Premier Sustainable Restaurant by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos and Jorge Pineda
“Haute couture vegan food done consistently well in both book and New York restaurant.”

• Quick-Fix Vegan: Healthy, Homestyle Meals in 30 Minutes or Less by Robin Robertson
“I don’t know how Robin does it, but once again she’s come up with simple and tasty recipes.”

• The Tipsy Vegan: 75 Boozy Recipes o Turn Every Bite into Happy Hour by John E. Schlimm
“Finally, a vegan book that celebrates indulging in a few cocktails. Don’t worry, it has savory recipes too.”

• Fresh: New Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes from the Award-winning Fresh Restaurants by Ruth Tal and Jennifer Houston
“A second book from the gals from Fresh. If you are ever in Toronto, it is a must visit.”

• Have Your Cake and Vegan Too: 50 Dazzling and Delicious Cake Creations by Kris Holechek
“Who better to learn the art of cake making then from your aunt and great-grandmothers.”

• BabyCakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles by Erin McKenna
“Erin did it again. And boy am I glad Baby Cakes LA is in downtown, miles from my hood. This way I can control my desire for these delightful treats.”

• Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and More by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
“Anything these two ladies create is always beyond delicious.”

• Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Jonathan Lovekin
“A high-end chef and restaurateur celebrating vegetables can’t get any better than this.”

• Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson
“Heidi is a goddess of naturally good recipes. Her ease in the way she offers us her beautiful bounty is to bow down too. Heavenly.”

• Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More by Maria Speck
“Any book about how to cook creatively with whole grains is in use in my home kitchen.”

• Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole
Family Will Love by Sarah Matheny
“A sweet book for a family. The perfect baby shower gift to start out in the right direction.”

Late this afternoon, my hankering to turn on the oven and warm my kitchen led me to cleaning out my baskets of potatoes. I found five Japanese sweet potatoes and one garnet yam. I peeled the skin off both potatoes. In fact, it is best to remove the skin from the Japanese potatoes as its skin retains a bitter flavor and often can look funky with bruises and discoloration. I could have left the skin on the garnet yam, but I wanted the dish to be consistent. I rinsed the potatoes under cool water and cut into 2-inches wide pieces. I like to keep the potatoes large to get the true essence as you bite into the soft sweetness. Toss in a large bowl with a little olive oil and sea salt. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange the potatoes and then, dust with cracked pepper.

My oven had been pre-heated to about 375-400º, when I placed the potatoes in,
roast in the high heat for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft and browned. Most of the browning takes place on the bottom side. See photos below to show potatoes cooked on top, then turned over to show how they brown on the bottom.

While the potatoes were roasting, I decided to read a bit about Japanese yams or sweet
potatoes; I see they are called by either name. I just finished reading Lisa See’s last three books. Her stories are heartfelt and magical and she always tells you what her characters are eating. I enjoyed hearing about these potatoes and many other dishes from country-styled Japanese cooking. Compared to sweet potatoes and yams, these potatoes are denser, dryer, and sweeter. Their flesh is a pale creamy color and the skin is deep rust with a purplish hue to it. I have been known to eat these every day for weeks on end. I’ve yet to tire of them. Make this dish, I bet you’ll love them as much as I do.