According to an article in the latest e-newsletter of the Organic Consumer’s Association (Ronnie Cummins is the executive director of OCA; He visited T.C. 10 years ago, sponsored by Oryana and other area groups, and gave a speech about GMOs at the Opera House. Does anyone else remember that?) hexane is the dominant extraction solvent for soy products. Hexane is produced by the refining of crude oil and is a common component of gasoline, glues used for shoes, furniture, and textile manufacturing. It’s a known neurotoxin and in 2001, the EPA issued regulations on the control of emissions of hexane gas due to its potential carcinogenic properties and environmental concerns. So why the heck is something so toxic getting anywhere near the food we eat?

Answer: Because it’s cheap and abundant. It only costs 7 cents per pound, and it’s extremely efficient.

But  testing of hexane residues in soy meal and soy grits using FDA-approved and USDA-approved laboratories found that hexane residues of 21ppm were present in soy meal commonly used to produce soy protein for infant formula, protein bars and vegetarian food products. Nice, huh?

Thank God we have a guaranteed safe and delicious alternative to hexane-contaminated tofu right here in northern Michigan. Oryana’s tofu not only tastes superior, I also find the texture very appealing. The soy crew works hard in the tiny soy production room behind the kitchen every week, cranking out hundreds of pounds of the versatile chunks. They use Michigan-grown organic soybeans, boiling them up and concocting a variety of flavored tofus – Italian, Curry, Dill, etc. in addition to the plain, unflavored blocks.

So enjoy, enjoy! If you don’t know how to cook with tofu, there is a soy cooking class coming up this November. You can read about this class, and all the other cooking classes being taught this fall by me and Nancy Schwalm in the latest newsletter:

http://www.oryana.coop/newsletters/july-august09.pdf

Please note however that the date of the SOY class has changed. It is no longer Tuesday, Nov. 17 but Thursday, Nov. 12, same time and same place, 6-8 at the Grace Episcopal Church in downtown T.C. These classes fill up fast so if you’re interested, don’t delay in signing up!

What a lovely setting in Leelanau county at the property of Timothy Young’s Food For Thought enterprise. What a fun, FREE event, full of great food and happy people! It doesn’t get much better than being able to wander from tent to tent on a lovely summer’s afternoon and nibble on delectables produced locally. The wine and beer was flowing too. The third annual tasting fest  known as Green Cuisine, hosted by Food for Thought, was the place to be last Wednesday afternoon. We tasted fresh tomato bruschetta from Stella’s, bratwurst from Family Market, a spicy chickpea stew from Wellington Street Market, cherry salsa and chocolate-covered cherries from Cherry Republic, and wine from Chateau Chantal and Black Star Farms. There were lots of other vendors there too, including, of course, naturally, Oryana! Jody and Sandi were handing out samples of our signature tofu veggie spread on rice crackers and having fun to boot.

Green Cuisine vendors under the tents

Attendees who parked down the road were treated to a horse and carriage ride by Black Horse Farm.

The short wait in line was worth it to get all those great treats. It was a "zero waste" event, hence the real plate and fork.

Jody and Sandi hamming it up and having a grand time handing out samples of Oryana's tofu veggie spread

Relaxing and socializing and eating!

Crooners Seth Bernard and Daisy May entertained the crowd.

Rebecca Lessard graced the scene with Doolan, a turkey vulture and nature's original recycler! Doolan is human-imprinted and cannot be released back into the wild but seemed perfectly comfortable. Rebecca runs Wings of Wonder, a wildlife rehabilitation center for raptors.

So a good time was had by all. This is a great venue for Oryana to introduce people to the store if they aren’t familiar with it yet. If you weren’t able to attend, keep it in mind for next year. And don’t forget that it’s FREE!

You might have seen donation bottles around the store for  Thorah Lee, daugher of Mylene Courtade who works at Oryana. Thorah Lee is only 11 years old and has a rare ovarian cancer. She is being treated at DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.

A benefit picnic and concert is being held Sunday, July 19 from 3-7 p.m. at the Traverse City Civic Center Pavilion, with proceeds to benefit Thorah Lee’s family.

Enjoy fabulous local musicians on stage at the amphitheater. Please bring a dish to share and/or treats to donate to the bake sale. Ice cold drinks, locally raised beef burgers, pulled pork BBQ, and all-natural hot dogs will be available.

Bring acoustic instruments and your dancing feet to join in a great family fun day!

To donate, volunteer, or for more information call 231-313-6677