Books and articles by Dafne

Making natural cosmetics at home

chanaz

 

Why slather on harmful products when we take care of ourselves? Instead of spending a fortune on “natural” creams, which are full of irritants, we can prepare our own lotions by whipping them up only with ingredients that are so natural that you could even eat them!

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A book to understand the food that supermarkets offer

cosa-mangia-pollo

We wish to facilitate the knowledge of basic information regarding the food chain, and make available to everyone the tools to understanding what is inside and behind the products most commonly found in the supermarkets.

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White Magic

Magia-biancaWhat is pasta madre or sourdough leavening?? Where can you buy it? How is it different from brewer’s yeast? Isn’t that natural leavening too? Let’s start with the first question: pasta madre isn’t yeast, in the sense that it isn’t a foreign ingredient which is added to the dough to make it rise. On the contrary, it is part of the dough…this is the mystery of the holy trinity regarding pasta madre, biga? and bread which are three but at the same time are one entity.

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Some like it hot

a-qualcuno-piace-speziatoSpices and aromatic herbs have an unpleasant flavor on the former, and yet even chimpanzees have eaten them regularly.
What is their purpose and why can using them in the kitchen be so important?

Download the pdf of the article published in AAM Terranuova in September 2009

In defense of Mother Earth

madre-terraThe World Forum on Food Sovereignty...at times we may think that there is something very subjective, in our convictions. Sometimes we can imagine that the globalized world has reached such a complex state that it forces the individual to sit back, avoiding action and involvement.

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Agriculture is the art of living: interview with Wendell Berry

wendell berry2I was very excited when I heard of his being in Italy. He came to accept the Artusi prize, previously given to people of the caliber of Vandana Shiva.

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The Return of Farmers’ Markets

pict0061With the law regarding local food chains all over the country, farmers’ markets have seen a rebirth, but often the excessive bureaucratic requirements risk penalizing its very soul: the small farmers. Here is how they are organized and what they truly ask, to be able to donate that little bit of countryside in the city which is so precious to us.

Download the pdf of the article published in AAM Terranuova in July/August 2008