HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Climate Talks Enter Final Countdown

Today and tomorrow, 119 heads of state will arrive in Copenhagen to decide the outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference that started last Monday. Over 12 million people have signed the ‘tck tck tck’ petition in support of a fair, ambitious and binding agreement. Millions of people around the world have supported candlelight vigils and other local actions to make their voices heard.

Developing and developed countries have not yet resolved their major differences as the talks enter their final phase. Kofi Annan said earlier that:

“A deal that stops at rhetoric and does not actually meet the needs of the poorest and most climate vulnerable countries simply will not work. [...] climate justice must be at the heart of the agreement."

The urgent need for a fair, ambitious and binding agreement was confirmed today when a report published by Oxfam warned for severe droughts in East Africa. The report states that rains across swathes of East Africa have failed for the sixth year in a row and that November rainfall was less than 5% of normal in parts of Kenya and Ethiopia, causing severe human suffering as crops fail and food becomes scarce.

As the eyes of the world are upon Copenhagen in the coming two days, we ask for your continued support in the fight for Climate Justice.

Find more information about what you can do at http://www.timeforclimatejustice.org

Maize, salt and daily life on Mayan murals

Murals found inside a pyramid at the ancient Maya site of Calakmul, Mexico, cast a whole new light on Mayan daily life and language.

Researchers excavated a tunnel into what looked like a burial mound from the outside, but turned out to be a buried pyramid. Inside they found multiple layers of pyramids built on top of each other, with a set of excellently preserved paintings of quotidian Mayan activities.

The images on the mural show people engaged in mundane activities, such as preparing food. Hieroglyphic captions accompany each image, labeling each individual. In each case the term “aj,” meaning “person,” is used and followed by the word for a foodstuff or material. For example, the terms “aj ul” (”maize-gruel person”) shows a man with a large pot, dish and spoon with another man drinking from a bowl, and the term “aj mahy” (tobacco person) depicts two men, one holding a spatula and the other a pot that likely holds a form of the tobacco leaf.

Such scenes have never been seen in surviving Mayan paintings before, though some parts of quotidian Mayan culture have survived through the ages with the remaining Mayan populations) and the hieroglyphs for some words (such as “tobacco” and “maize-gruel”) were already known. Other hieroglyphs, though, were new to researchers — of particular importance were finding the words for maize itself and salt, which were known to be key staples of the Mayan diet.

There are also a woman selling tamales and a man eating one, a woman selling clay pots, a man bearing a heavy pot with a patterned tie around his head. Fortunately for us, these murals were covered with a layer of protective clay which has kept them in excellent condition despite the many subsequent layers built on top of them.

Based on the style of pottery in the paintings, researchers date the paintings to sometime between 620 and 700 A.D.

Decorative painting on Mayan monuments is usually devoted to major political and religious figures and themes, so these murals may be unique. University of Pennsylvania Museum researcher Simon Martin knows of no similar Mayan paintings. Central American jungles do not provide a hospitable environment for the preservation of artifacts. The high humidity has destroyed a great deal of Mayan art and hieroglyphs.

So far only two sides of the pyramid walls have been excavated. Perhaps we’ll learn more new words once the other two are revealed.

Source: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/3927

Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles (chee-lah-KEE-lehs) is a typical Mexican dish used mainly for breakfast. They’re easy, practical and delicious!!

INGREDIENTS
4 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, quartered
2 cloves of garlic
2 onions
1 garlic
12 tomatoes peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste
1 green chili seeded (optional. Only if you want to make it hot)
4 ORGANIC CORN TORTILLAS SIKANDA
sour cream
½ pound Oaxaca cheese, if you cannot find it you can use manchego or mozzarella

PREPARATION
· Cook chicken with a little water, pinch of salt, quartered onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Cover and slowly cook over medium heat. You are basically steaming the meat.
· Cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Put chicken on a plate and let it cool for a while until you can shred it in very small pieces with your hands or a fork.
· Throw out the garlic and onion. They were only used to add additional flavor. · Purée onion, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and green chili (optional) in blender to make a sauce.
· Add olive oil to a pan and cook the sauce over medium heat for 10 minutes. The sauce will change color.
· Taste and season with salt and pepper.
· Add the shredded chicken back to the sauce, lower heat and cook for a few minutes so the shredded chicken can absorb some of the flavors from the tomato sauce. Don't let the sauce cook to long. You don't want the chicken to dry out.
· Cut up then tortillas into strips.
· Deep fry them until they are crisp, remove and place them on sheets of paper towels to remove excess oil .
· Assamble the chilaquiles like a lasagna. Layer the following:
1 - A layer of tortillas. 2 - A layer of chicken in sauce. 3 - A few spots of sour cream 4 - Cheese on top
· Repeat by doing the same for next layer and finish with cheese and some sour cream. · Cook in the oven approximately 45 minutes at 335 degrees F. Serve with chopped onion and fresh cheese on top. Complement with refired beans on the side.

Visit us at Expo Orgánicos 2009!

SIKANDA will participate in EXPO ORGANICOS, the most important trade show for the Organic Industry in Mexico. Producers, buyers, academics and consumers will gather to exchange experiences, discuss the state of the Organic Movement in Mexico and explore business opportunities.

We invite you to visit our booth at the MexBest Pavillion.

Expo Organicos
November 3-4, 2009
10:00 – 17:00 hrs
Plaza Magna de Nacional Financiera (NAFIN)
Insurgentes Sur 1971 col. Guadalupe Inn,
Mexico City

For further information:
http://organicos2009.preregistroenlinea.com/

VISIT US AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BETTER FUTURE!

SIKANDA says NO! to GMO corn

SIKANDA pronounces against the approval of GMO testing in maize crops in Mexico.

We feel deceived by our Government’s decision to support multinational companies like Monsanto instead of working on implementing sustainable agricultural programs that will empower farmers and communities, preserve corn varieties and raise productivity.

Our company will work even harder to defend endemic maize varieties grown from centuries in our soil and traditional techniques of making tortillas and corn products.

You can contribute to this effort by purchasing our ORGANIC CORN TORTILLAS.

We say NO to GMO’s because we say YES to biodiversity, organic agriculture, fair trade and health.

Greenpeace protests against GMO corn in Mexico

October 20, 2009 -- Updated 1222 GMT (2022 HKT)

By Arthur Brice CNN


(CNN) -- Mexico saw the first public protests this weekend over the government's decision to allow cultivation of the first genetically modified corn, which environmentalists and others say could ruin the nation's native crop.

To read the complete article: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/10/20/greenpeace.mexico/index.html

Mexican government approved GMO corn test-plantings

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 18 (CNN.com) -- The Mexican government recently has approved 35 requests to test-plant genetically modified (GM) corn, said a government statement.

Still in the test stage, the approved GM corn planting will be confined to closed areas and is subject to the country's ecological security laws, said the departments of agriculture and environment in the statement.

All related governmental agencies will strictly monitor the planting to make sure it confirms to the law, said these two departments.

However, several Mexican environmental protection groups along with Greenpeace, an international nongovernmental organization for environmental conservation, oppose the planting, warning it would endanger the country's ecological diversity.

Mexican farmers also have staged several protests, calling for a ban on GM planting so that more than 200 corn varieties in Mexico will not be threatened.

It is reported that the Mexican government will for the time allocate 194 hectares of land in six states to plant GM corn crops.

Tortilla soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, halved
6 cloves of garlic
6 large ripe tomatoes
10 cups of chicken stock
2 tbsp oil
4 springs of epazote
10 ORGANIC CORN TORTILLAS, cut into strips
6 pasilla chiles, seeds removed and cut into ½ (1 cm) rings
4 avocados. Peeled, pitted and sliced or chopped
8 oz fresh cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
5 limes, halved
Sour cream (optional)

Preparation:

• Roast onion, garlic and tomatoes on griddle or in hot oven until outer layers are charred; peel outer layer of onion, garlic, and peel and seed tomatoes.
• Purée in blender, adding a little chick stock if necessary.
• Heat oil in stockpot and sauté purée over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes; reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5-10 minutes until purée thickens and changes color. Add remaining chicken stock and epazote. Return to boil; season to taste and cook, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fry tortilla strips in oil for about 3 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Divide tortilla strips among individual bowls. Add broth, and garnish each serving with a few chile rings and some avocado. Sprinkle with cheese. Pass cream, lime halves, remaining chile rings and avocado slices separately.

SHARING ORGANIC MEXICAN FOOD AT BIOFACH USA 2009!

Biofach America, one of the most important exhibition shows for the organic movement , took place at the beautiful city of Boston, Mass. from September 24^th-26^th.

SIKANDA participated in a booth sponsored by the Mexican Department of Agriculture, being selected as one of Mexico’s top Organic Companies.

It was a great opportunity to introduce our line of ORGANIC CORN TORTILLAS to the American Market and share some of our efforts towards preserving maize biodiversity and fight against GMO contamination in our country.

And of course, it also gave us the chance to share delicious Mexican recipes with everyone!!!

Welcome to the first posting of the SIKANDA Blog. We created this forum to share with you the latest updates about our company, great tips about nutrition, recipes and relevant news about the organic movement. We invite you to join the discussion or make any comment!