On World Food Day 2004, then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan issued a message stating that the unprecedented loss of biodiversity over the last century should “raise the loudest of alarms.”

Historically, over 7,000 species have been raised for use as food.  In contrast, the UN’s 2004 World Food Day press release indicates that today “just 30 crop species dominate food production and 90 per cent of our animal food supply comes from just 14 mammal and bird species.”

In a recent article from guardian.com.uk, human development is cited as the most pressing threat to many plant species.

Large agricultural operations tend to plant genetically modified crops in monoculture to boost food production, but one study showed that crops had 43% higher yields when grown in fields planted for biodiversity as compared with a monoculture of genetically modified plants.

Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is an organization founded to defend food biodiversity and support sustainable agriculture.  If biodiversity loss raises the loudest of alarms for you, visit their website to learn more about projects in your area.

Ground turmeric root

This here’s my friend turmeric.  A root that grows wild in the forests of Malaysia, turmeric is used as a spice in curries and in other South Asian and Middle Eastern dishes.

Turmeric is a key food to include in any healthy diet.  Turmeric and curcumin, a component of turmeric, have been found to have powerful effects in preventing and treating a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and cancer:

• Extracts of turmeric have been found to prevent the formation of the beta-amyloid plaques that obstruct brain function in Alzheimer’s disease.
• Turmeric contains over two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, including at least six different COX-2 inhibitors that control pain, inflammation, and swelling.  The turmeric component curcumin has  been shown to decrease arthritic symptoms.
• Turmeric and/or curcumin have been shown to effectively prevent or treat colonrectal, breast, prostate, esophogeal, and oral cancers in animals.

Besides indulging regularly in delicious curries, one excellent way to include turmeric in your diet is by drinking turmeric tea.  Please brew an extra cup for me…

Red chard

Until last week, I had never knowingly eaten chard.  But chard just happened to appear in two delectable dishes I ate on two consecutive days last week and it’s now joined spinach, kale, and collards on my list of favorite leafy green vegetables.

I enjoy local eating, not just because the produce is fresher, more flavorful, and more nutritious, but also because it consumes less oil and gas and supports local economies.  So I was delighted to learn that chard is in season here in Northern California. There are many, many other fruits, vegetables, legumes, herbs, and nuts currently in season in these parts, including…

almonds, apples, artichokes, arugula, Asian pears, avocado, basil, beans, beets, bell pepper, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, burdock, cabbage, cactus pads , cardoons , carrots , cauliflower, celery, chard , chestnuts, collards, corn , cress , cucumbers, dates, eggplant, endive, fennel, figs, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, herbs, horseradish, jujubes, kale, kiwi, kohlrabi , kumquats, leeks, lemons, lettuces, limes, melons, mushrooms , mustard greens, nectarines, okra, olives, onions , oranges, parsnips, peaches, pears, peas, peppers, persimmons, pistachios, plums, pomegranates, potatoes, purslane, quince, radicchio, radish, rapini, raspberries, rhubarb, rutabaga, salsify, scallions, shallots, spinach, strawberries, sunchokes, sweet potatoes , tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips, winter squash

(In case you’re wondering, cardoons are in the thistle family–related to artichokes–and jujubes are a tree fruit, sometimes called Chinese dates.)

Which foods are in season near you?