Government raid of Rawesome food club in Venice

For the second time in two years, the Rawesome raw foods buying club was raided and ransacked, the morning of August 3, 2011.

This was a multi-agency sting that involved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the California Franchise Tax Board, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch, the CDFA Division of Measurement Standards, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, the Ventura County Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.

James Cecil Stewart, the owner/operator of Rawesome, was arrested and charged with seven misdemeanors and six felony counts of conspiracy. His bail was set at $123,000.

Sharon Palmer, who operates Healthy Family Farms, LLC, in Santa Paula, Ventura County, CA, was arrested and charged with three of the misdemeanors and the six conspiracy charges. Her bail was set at $121,000.

Eugenie Victoria Bloch, LA chapter leader of the Weston A Price Foundation and part-time employee of Healthy Family Farms, was arrested with three counts of conspiracy. Her bail was set at $60,000.

All for daring to sell Healthy Family Farms’ raw goat milk and raw goat milk dairy products (and raw cow milk from Pennsylvania) to their loyal club members and shareholders.

People who belong to the “Right to Choose Healthy Food’s Rawesome Club” sign a membership agreement that states

“I completely reject and refuse all governmental food standards. I fully trust the board members of this club to properly oversee and manage the preparation, handling and packaging of the food in this club, including but not limited to raw meat, raw eggs, raw produce, raw juices, raw dairy...”

The FDA sent a message today, this is not the land of the free, certainly not when it comes to deciding what healthy food one consumes. The “officials” threw away $10,000 worth of food, not only the raw milk and dairy products but also fresh fruits and vegetables, just to send this message. They also confiscated cash, computers, and more.

Besides the felonies “to conspire,” the misdemeanor charges were for processing milk without pasteurization, operating an unlicensed milk plant, selling milk or milk products that don’t “conform to the standards,” selling milk that had been produced or handled using unsanitary conditions, operating an unlicensed milk business, operating a food facility without a permit, selling unlabeled and improperly labeled food, selling food from unapproved sources, failing to store eggs at the proper temperature, and removing a notice of closure.

But it is legal to sell raw milk in California. Organic Pastures in Fresno sells throughout the state and online.

And with the evidence now down the drain, is there any physical proof that the milk had been contaminated, as surely it must have been had it been treated without concern for sanitation?

Have there ever been any cases of illness due to consumption of raw food products from Rawesome? If not, this is all a big show.

Note the identity of the second official stakeholder, the California Franchise Tax Board. That’s the real story. Money. The money it takes to comply with all these licensing requirements. Money the state wants but hasn’t received because the farm has been operating without a license since 2007, and Rawesome for more than six years.

Licenses and permits are supposed to protect the public health, for example by requiring proper cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and proper veterinary care for animals. It seems clear that Rawesome and Healthy Family Farms have been breaking the laws requiring such licenses. However, the absence of a license does not make food prepared without one inherently unsafe. It is unconscionable to dump $10,000 of food for a technicality. If this was to punish Rawesome and the farm, at least the food, including the milk and other dairy products, could have been donated to a food bank.

The Felony Complaint for Arrest Warrant reveals some details of the undercover investigation that led to this arrest, involving informants disguised as buyers. Healthy Family Farms and Rawesome were set up. Isn’t this entrapment?

One person at the recent raid told the raiders:

“Drink your milk from Monsanto and poison your own children.”

I say “survival of the fittest” will determine who is right and who is not.

There was a Rawesome protest at the LA Courthouse this morning at 8:00 AM. The three “co-conspirators” had their day in court. Victoria Bloch was released without bail, still charged with one felony count. James Stewart’s bail was reduced to $30,000 provided he doesn’t sell unpasteurized milk without a license. Sharon Palmer will be arraigned Friday 8-4-2011 in the same courthouse. Rumors have it that her pro bono attorney will be Christopher Darden who worked on the prosecution side of the O.J. Simpson murder case.

More Information

Government Data Proves Raw Milk is Safe. June 22, 2011. Press Release by the Weston A. Price Foundation

Three Arrested on Charges of Illegally Producing, Selling Unpasteurized Milk. August 3, 2011. Press Release by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Rawesome Farm Buying Club Raided Again. August 3, 2011. Press Release by The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Defending the rights and broadening the freedoms of family farms and protecting consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods. website

Ann Marie Michaels. Weston A. Price Foundation Activist Award 2010. Cheeseslave on Facebook

Enjoy this? Then share the link and comment below, even if only to say "Hi!"

You might also be interested in Donna’s other work as National Food Security Examiner, National Science News Examiner, Long Beach Urban Agriculture Examiner, and founder and executive director of Long Beach Grows.

Copyright © 2011 Donna Marykwas; All rights reserved.

A highly recommended Real Food Nutrition course to WATCH with your Kids!

The Real Food Nutrition & Health E-Course is being offered by Kristen Michaelis, AKA Food Renegade. She is one of the core Real Food Media bloggers in support of the real food philosophy taught by the Weston A. Price Foundation and Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions.

This class is for your children and for you to watch together. It begins this Friday, February 4! You must enroll by then in order to join in on the course. It runs through April 8th, with final assignments due by the 15th. New class materials are posted each Friday.

If you enroll in the class, you probably should buy a copy of Real Food Nutrition & Health, the textbook for the class.

This course is not a regurgitation of what the U.S. government has convinced us is healthy, with its upside down food pyramid. Instead, here you will learn the truth. Even if you don't homeschool your children, it would be good to teach them the truth, perhaps highlighting and contrasting what they learn from this course with what they learn from their public school teachers.

My child is in the public school system, and I find that I often have to tell her what is right and what is wrong of the information she is learning at school. It makes it awkward for her, because when tested she has to give the answer that is expected, not the answer that her mother tells her is the truth, but in the end I hope that she learns the truth and the fact that our understanding of the truth evolves as we learn more, and not just from the research conducted by scientists, medical doctors, nutritionists, and university professors, but also from reviewing the traditional dietary practices of the past, which the above-mentioned professionals often overlook.

If you decide to take this course based on my suggestion, please let me know by commenting below. I hope that you enjoy it.


Enjoy this? You might also be interested in Donna’s other work as Long Beach Urban Agriculture Examiner, Long Beach Restaurant Examiner, National Science News Examiner and founder and executive director of Long Beach Grows.


Copyright © 2011 Donna Marykwas; All rights reserved.

Nothing beats winter beet green quiche for breakfast

Winter is upon us. In Southern California, that means green leafy vegetables such as kale and collards are plentiful in the farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

Green leafy vegetables should be part of everyone’s daily diet. They provide ample dietary fiber, they supply numerous vitamins and minerals, and they are a rich source of dietary nitrates that seem to help ward off diabetes and obesity.

One oft overlooked but delicious vegetable is beet greens. Indeed, many people pay for beets by the pound (including the green tops) and then proceed to have the vendor remove and dispose of the tops at the produce stand. 

Perhaps this recipe will convince some to eat their greens for breakfast. Of course, any other green leafy vegetable can be substituted, but nothing beats beet greens for this delicious quiche.

Ingredients for the crust

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup kefir*
• 3.5 cups whole wheat flour**
• 2 tsp salt

Ingredients for the filling

• 1 bunch beet greens***
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, or more to taste
• 3 pickled hot peppers  (optional)
• Olive oil
• 6 large eggs
• 1.5 cups kefir
• ground nutmeg

I. The night before you wish to serve the quiche, prepare the dough. This recipe is based on the recipe for “Yoghurt Dough” in Sally Fallon’s “Nourishing Traditions.” It does not make a flaky pie crust, but it is not tough either. It is very tasty, versatile, and easy to use.

1. Combine the butter with the kefir in a large bowl.
2. Add all of the flour and sprinkle with the salt.
3. Mix well by essentially kneading the dough in the bowl until all the flour is combined.
4. Form the dough into a neat ball and return it to the bowl.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature overnight.

II. In the morning, pre-heat the oven to 350 ℉, and first prepare the crust.

You will find that the dough is extremely manageable and forgiving. It is easy to roll and easy to lift and transfer to a baking dish without tearing. Furthermore, if you are not satisfied with the results, the dough can be gathered together and re-rolled without loss of quality. As the dough ages, it appears marbled with some areas darker than others. This is perfectly normal and does not indicate spoilage.

1. Divide the dough into 3 equal-sized balls.
2. Wrap 2 in plastic and refrigerate for some other day.
3. Lay a silpat or rollpat on a clean surface, and sprinkle with flour for rolling.
4. Also lightly flour your rolling pin and both sides of the 3rd ball of dough.
5. Roll it out evenly into a circle slightly larger than a ceramic quiche dish 11 inches in diameter.
6. Lift the circle of dough into the quiche dish and arrange to your liking.

It is not necessary to partially pre-bake the crust, but you may do so if you prefer it to be drier.

III. Then prepare the filling.

1. Chop one medium-sized onion into medium-sized pieces.
2. Sauté in olive oil (~ 2 Tbs) until soft and slightly browned on the edges.
3. Sever the beet greens and stems from the bulbous roots, and save the beets for another meal.
4. Coarsely chop the stems and greens.
5. Crush and coarsely chop the garlic.
6. Add the garlic, optional hot peppers, and beet stems to the onions and continue to sauté to soften the stems and color the onions.
7. Add the greens and continue to cook until the greens are wilted.
8. Scramble the eggs in a large bowl, sprinkle with the nutmeg, and whisk in the kefir until all is combined.

IV. Assemble and bake.

1. Spoon the cooked vegetables evenly into the crust.
2. Pour in the egg/kefir mixture.
3. Transfer the uncooked quiche to a preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the center surface of the quiche is set, firm and dry to the touch.

Enjoy. With the bright color contributed by the beet stems bleeding through the surface, this makes a festive addition to a holiday breakfast, or any winter meal.

Sources
*The quiche in the picture was prepared using kefir made with whole milk from Rockview Farms Dairy using the dry kefir culture purchased from
New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.

**King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour is good.

***The beets were from the Long Beach Southeast Farmers’ Market held Sundays in the parking lot of the Alamitos Bay Marina.

Copyright © 2010 Donna Marykwas; All rights reserved.