Been wondering what the term
"Fair Trade certified" means when it comes to food? If you have a
general idea that it may be a "good thing," but aren't sure where to
find these foods, or how to use them, fall is your season.
When you see the Fair Trade certified
mark on food and other goods, you can be assured that the producers in
developing countries have received a fair price for their products,
allowing them to make investments into improving their local community
and infrastructure.
In fact, many Fair Trade items can be
found at Fair World Marketplace, 4471 E. Genesee St., DeWitt
(446-0326). There you can peruse planters, gifts, puppets, jewelry,
accent furniture and musical instruments. Foodstuffs include
chocolates, soups, coffee, tea and olive oil. The shop is open Mondays
to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Holiday hours,
from Nov. 23 to Dec. 22, extend Wednesday to Saturday hours until 8 p.m.
With Fair Trade certified ingredients
ranging from pasta and spices to cocoa and tea, you have many options
for making a positive contribution to the lives of producers,
sustaining the earth and the global economy. And now you can even use
Fair Trade certified spices to enhance your dishes.
You can prepare entire Fair Trade meals
for any time of day. As you plan a meal, simply check through your list
of ingredients to see which ones may be offered in a Fair Trade
version. Here are some suggestions for easy ways to integrate Fair
Trade ingredients into your cooking.
For main dishes, you might go with Fair Trade pastas, vegetables and spices. Below is a particularly delicious example.
Creamy Pasta with Sauerkraut and
Veggie Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
3½ cups sauerkraut, rinsed
1½ cups vegan mayonnaise
2 cups plain, unsweetened soy yogurt
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
½ cup nutritional yeast (not brewer's)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package veggie sausage or veggie dogs, thinly sliced at an angle
¾ cup water
1 pound whole wheat pasta (gobetti, fusilli, penne) cooked al dente and drained
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
In a large saucepot, saute onion in
olive oil until golden brown. Add drained sauerkraut, mayonnaise,
yogurt, mustard, yeast, cumin, garlic powder and sliced sausage (or
veggie dogs). Add ¾ cup water. Stir ingredients until mixed well. If
mixture is too thick, add another ¼ cup of water. Cook over medium heat
for 10 minutes.
Add cooked pasta, and toss well. Cover
and cook 12 to 15 minutes, until well heated and mixture begins to
bubble. Garnish with diced tomato. Serve.
Enhance your meal with home-baked
breads, cookies and desserts using Fair Trade fruits. Did you know you
can get Fair Trade bananas at almost any food store? Bananas were one
of the original fruits to become widely certified; now the products
available are much broader. This treat allows for your own creative
fruit combinations.
Fall Fruit Crumble
Skip the pie crust and offer up a
generous portion of fruit crumble. Serve warm with ice cream, frozen
yogurt or freshly whipped cream with a hint of vanilla extract.
Filling
5 cups fruit (sliced pears, sliced apples and whole cranberries or raspberries make a great combination)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
1/3 cup raisins
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons rum or water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
½ cup flour
½ cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup walnuts chopped
2½ tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large
bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients. Pour into a baking dish
(do not drain). Combine the topping ingredients (cut in butter until
mixture is coarse and crumbly) and sprinkle over the fruit. Bake about
30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is soft and topping is lightly browned.
Your support of Fair Trade doesn’t have
to end with food items. More and more Fair Trade kitchen and table
items are becoming available: place mats, tableware, napkins, serving
dishes, etc. Now is the time to explore the possibilities, so check
with your local natural and organic retailer.
Visit www.frontiercoop.com/fairtrade for
more information on Fair Trade and a selection of Fair Trade Certified
food products you can buy online.
