I could not find where I read this, or I would have included it in the article, but I read that NOT peeling them is the British way. Personally, I’ve only found a difference in texture, not in taste. Some people think the skin adds some bitterness, though.

Heather: I know, right? I was pretty sure it was a fava, but I guess it could’ve been anything...

Elizabeth and Heather: the squirrels at our house are kind of like family pets. After pruning our Hawthorne trees, we lost two squirrel nests, but two years later, they’re back, and we’ve been watching two baby squirrels learn the ropes (literally). Of course, they might be to blame for the fava stealing.

I didn’t know the greens were edible, so I’m looking forward to learning more about that.

I haven’t frozen them, but I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze them just like peas: blanch and freeze. You could leave the skin on and peel them when you defrost. (Or not peel them at all.)

I don’t mean to keep bashing lima beans, but I just don’t get why people compare favas to limas. In my experience they’re really different things, like comparing cottage cheese to whip cream.

My favas are going to be late this year because I was too wimpy to face the rain and plant them when I should have. So, if you’ve already got some, let me know how you fix them.

Maybe, like kale, favas will be the next “it” food item! We can say we’re trendsetters.

As of February 2012, Trader Joe’s signed a fair trade tomato agreement, according to the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/trader-joes-fair-food-agreement_n_1268417.html

Sandra--I am so glad to know someone else with a Kitchen Wizard, and especially glad to know that it’s 28 years old and still thriving. I wonder if ours look the same. Is yours tan and dark brown with orange buttons? That’s part of what I love, very “retro”!

VeganMOFO--a month of daily blogging about vegan eating--is happening right now, October 2011. It’s organized by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It’s been fun to participate this year and inspiring to read others’ posts. Find the list of participants and more information at veganmofo.com

Great review by Emily Stone. Darn. Maybe Just Food is not going to be a good textbook for my class.

I show Food Inc., and it agitates the students in a good way, but this is the point at which the conversation gets polarized. There are plenty of students in the middle, but it seems like the two “sides” dominate discussion. Maybe it’s a reaction to never having thought much about food production before.

I’m not blaming the film but wondering what else I can show/read to complicate the issue--to broaden the issue.

I’m also realizing that McWilliams seems focused on how to feed 9.3 billion people as we eat now. Is it unrealistic or even wrong to ask us to change the way we eat? Kind of like WWII and being asked to sacrifice and conserve and grow victory gardens, I’d feel excited to make changes in my diet in order to provide for a healthier world. (Idealistic?) It seems like Pollan and Bitman have done this by recommending vegetables be more frequent on our plates than meat.

This a thought-provoking conversation! Thank you!