ee 56 -~ Wednesday, Dece A New products taste good and are healthy for the planet ENVIRONMENTAL AC- TION has never tasted so good. By Peggy Treridell-Whittaker News Reporter In an effort to halt the destruction of the tropical rain- forests, which are currently disappearing at the rate of 50 million acres per year, various companies are marketing goods that can be harvested from the forests without harming their ecosystem. Some of the best-known rain- forest crops are Brazil and ca- shew nuts, which are the featured ingredient in sweets such as Dare’s **Harvest from the Rainforest’’ cookies and sweets like Blue Planet Trading Co.'s **Amazon Critters’ and ‘Rainforest Brittle.’’ According to Brian Krieger of Blue Planet, American scientists have demonstrated that the rain- forest can provide far more in- come and employment when it is left standing than when it is cleared for cattle ranching. He says that 1,000 hectares of forest can support one cowboy raising beef, or 35 indigenou: people and rubber tappers who earn their living through the harvest of nuts, fruits, medicinal plants and rubber. But before rushing to the store and buying a kilo of Brazil nuts in support of the rainforests, one must know that all nuts are not created equal. The vast majority of Brazil and cashew nuts, says Krieger, have been purchased from what has become known as the “Brazil nut mafia,’’ middlemen who buy the nuts, unshelled, from the collectors at a very low price and sell the people staple goods such as clothing at greatly inflated prizes. According to Cultural Sur- vival, a non-profit agency that works to support the sustainable economic development projects North Shore News tast alternative && The response has been quite excellent. it’s a tasty alternative to deforestation. FF — Brian Krieger of Blue Planet * A ERED NEWS photo Terry Poters BUYING BRAZIL nuts and cashews that have been purchased directly from the indigenous people of the Amazon is one way to support sustainable rainforest crops. Scientists have found that a tropical rainforest is more lucrative standing than it is stashed and burned to make room for cattle grazing. And as we all know now, it’s also vital for the environmental well-being of the planet. of indigenous peoples, Brazilian nut collectors received three to four cents per pound for the nuts they collected in 1989 — nuts that were sold ian New York for up to $1.75 per pound. Cultural Survival has set up the first Brazil nut processing plant to be owned by the nut collectors themselves. The organization also serves to mar- ket the products directly to buyers, cutting out the middie- man and thereby obtaining a fair price for the collectors. Bie Planet buys its nuts through Cultural Survival at the market price, plus five per cent which is directed to the future construction of more shelling fa- citities. The company also do- nates five per cent of the gross profits to the same cause. Krieger says that unless the nuts in a product have heen pur- chased through Cultural Sur- vival, they have been bought through the exploitive mid- dlemen. Blue Planet products, which range from $3.95 19 $7.95 per package, are handmade at Olde Photo submitted PETER IRELAND (left) and Brian Krieger of Blue Planet Trading Co. produce a line of confectioneries that use Brazil and cashew nuts as ingredients. Their company buys the nuts from Cultural Survival, a non-profit agency that helps in- digenous peopte market their goods. World Fudge outlets, including the one at Lonsdale Quay. They range from chocolate and caramel nut confections to nut brittles and mixed nuts, and are available at Capers in Dun- darave and at Starbucks coffee shops. “The response has been quite excellent,”’ says Krieger. ‘It’s a tasty alternative to deforesta- tion.’” While the rainforesis may Cookies look better EACH KIND of cookie sports its cwn type of tan. The mere blush of brown on macaroons. The soft glow on shortbread. Differences in browning are especially noticeable at holiday time when we're surrounded by an abundance of cookie varieties. Together, ingredients, the bax- ing temperature and the cookic sheet determine how brown a cookie becomes in the oven. Bak- ing surfaces influence browning because they control how quickly heat is transferred to the cookie dough. Cookies brown easily because they’re so high in sugar. Browning is not just for looks, however. The process of browning also adds rich overtones of flavor. Browning begins as sugar near the surface of the cookie breaks down, or caramelizes in heat. It turns quickly from clear to pale golden, then fight caramel, deep amber and finally, charcoal. We use color as one indication that cookies are baked, but deeper shades also mean unique flavors. A second iype of browning takes place at high temperatures as proteins in eggs and milk react with simple sugars. But sometimes it’s tricky to get the top nicely golden just as the inside is cooked. That’s when matching the baking sheet to the type of cookie can help. Bright baking surfaces reflect, rather than absorb, some of the radiant heat of the oven. Baking on shiny surfaces, therefore, takes inquisitive Gook SU WILSON ANNE GARDINER longer because heat is not trans- ferred as quickly. But in) many cookie recipes, that’s just what we want. More baking time allows plump soft cookies to bake evenly right through. There's less chance of a cookie that’s crusty on the edges while not quite cooked in the middle. Heat travels faster through a dark or dull cookie sheet so bak- ing time will be tess. As dark sur- faces absorb more heat they use oven temperatures more efficient- ly. Dark surfaces suit cookies which need to be crisp and deeply tanned. Insulated b Veware is a new concept designed to eliminate crusty, dark bottoms in cookies. These have a thin cushion of air sandwiched between two layers of aluminum. As locked-in air is a poor conductor, batters and doughs are protected from the seem half a world away, their effect is felt across the glote. Twenty five per cent of our medicines contain active ingre- dients derived from rainforest plants, and half of all North American birds migrate to trop- ical rainforests each winter. Deforestation is the second highest manmade source of car- bon dioxide, contributing significantly to global warming. direct heat. These baking sheets work weil for delicate pastries, meringues or cookies that burn easily. But bak- ing takes longer because of the in- sulating effect. Most baking sheets need a tight greasing. Butter and some marga- rines have a low smoking point, and decompose leaving an oily film that can be difficult to remove. Hf you experience — this problem use a pure vegetable shortening or ail. Because of their firmer con- sistency, most rolled cookies, such as sugar cookies and shortbread, don't require a vreased pan. Holidays and cookie-baking go together in many homes. This year, with a fitthe help from the cookie sheet, your favorite festive cookies will be tanned io perfec- tion.