How well do you know your kitchen? We’re all concerned with eating local food these days, but what are we serving our food on? Bob and I visited a local department store last week, and found that 95% of the dinnerware, pots and bake ware offered for sale were made in China. If your dinnerware was made overseas, it’s important to know whether the manufacturer has complied with U.S. federal lead standards and that your dishes are lead-free. Lead poisoning can cause severe neurological and cardiovascular problems – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning for a complete explanation.
We decided to remove all doubt about our dinnerware and treated ourselves to an early anniversary gift – a complete set of Homer Laughlin China Company Fiesta Ware. We also felt it was very economically priced for a USA made product. Homer Laughlin was started by two brothers, Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin, in East Liverpool Ohio in 1871. The company’s history is on their web site at http://www.hlchina.com/company.htm. It’s an interesting read and a testimony to the company’s ability to remain competitive and successful through war, economic downturns and foreign competition. In the early eighties, as the country became more environmentally conscientious, the company began to produce lead-free china. They used lead-free glazes and a vitrified china body – which means to change or make into glass or a glassy substance, especially through heat fusion. Today, the company pledges to continue to provide quality, American-made china and jobs for potters of the Ohio Valley.
If you are interested in learning more about your dinner plates, The Environmental Defense Fund presents a “Dish Buyers Guide” which lets the consumer know what they can be sure of. Here’s a link to the guide: http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentid=957 and here’s an excerpt:
Glass dishes have no glaze on them. Glass plates, cups, mugs, etc., without painted or decal-type decorations on their surface, are reliably lead-free. (NOTE: This is not true of leaded crystal, which is heavy and expensive and almost never used for ordinary plates, cups and mugs.)
Stoneware dishes - which are fairly heavy and often have a low shine instead of a bright, full gloss like glazed china - are normally coated with a material that contains no lead. Unless they have painted or decal-type decorations on the surface, stoneware pieces are almost as lead-free as glass.
Lead-free china looks just like other china but is made with lead-free glazes and pigments is sold by some companies.
In many cases you can ask the manufacturers yourself about lead in their china. The companies listed below provided have phone numbers for information about lead levels in specific patterns.
I also came across this web site which is a good reference for USA made products. I can’t vouch for the integrity of each company on this list, but it will give you (and us) a starting point to do your own research. Here’s the link: http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/kitchen.html.
Bob and I are very happy with our Fiesta Ware purchase! The colors are wonderful, the dishes are extremely well made and we have the added satisfaction of knowing where and how they were manufactured. It’s a great start to knowing our kitchen better!
We hope this Thanksgiving finds you with family, friends and lots of good local food! 
If you are a farmer operating a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, what type of packaging do you use to distribute your weekly shares? We’ve seen farmers use produce boxes, paper bags, plastic bags, biodegradable bags and reusable totes. It’s important to select a form of packaging that works for you and is acceptable to your customer. Many CSA members are not only knowledgeable about food, but are also informed about environmental concerns and may frown upon using disposable or non-recyclable containers. Your customers may look upon you more favorably if you distribute their weekly share in a reusable box. The downside to this type of package is that you may end up watch-dogging customers to return the boxes so that you can re-use them. Of course, packaging cost also plays a factor and should be considered and incorporated into the seasonal cost of members’ shares. At Eat Local Food, we recommend you get the most cost benefit from your CSA share container by customizing it with your name and contact information – your customers become walking billboards for your farm!
Community supported agriculture is a system where the buying public pays the farmer in advance for the promise of fresh produce over the growing season. Some farmers also request a member commitment of work hours to help supplement labor costs. Crop production is then based on membership. Throughout the growing season, members receive their share of produce on a weekly basis either through a common pick-up or delivery system. By receiving funding in advance, the farmer’s production expenses are assured, and by implementing a standardized delivery system, distribution costs are minimized. If you are not familiar with CSA farming, you can visit www.csafarms.org for more information.
How well do you know your kitchen? We’re all concerned with eating local food these days, but what are we serving our food on? Bob and I visited a local department store last week, and found that 95% of the dinnerware, pots and bake ware offered for sale were made in China. If your dinnerware was made overseas, it’s important to know whether the manufacturer has complied with U.S. federal lead standards and that your dishes are lead-free. Lead poisoning can cause severe neurological and cardiovascular problems – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning for a complete explanation.
Recently, I was reading about Thanksgiving traditions and came across a list of Thanksgiving jokes. Although many of them were politically incorrect, I thought this one made a particularly appropriate comment on the condition of our food system today.
