speak with your food

Happy Earth Day!

2013-04-22T16:47:00.001-04:00

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ~ Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

The snap peas are up! (...and I may have gotten irrationally excited when I saw these!)

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Treat everyday with respect for others and the planet, but be extra nice today!

BuzzFeed: "What 2000 Calories Looks Like"

2013-03-26T21:56:00.000-04:00

(via Grist.org; created by BuzzFeed)

Headline Harvest: A sustainable Passover; watching the greens grow; saving the bees

2013-03-26T20:25:00.001-04:00

Spring has sprung, the weather is balmy (well, getting there...) and SWYF is ripe with the latest food and farm news. Take a read:

In consumer news:

Not so fast, my Jewish friends! "5 New Reasons Not to Buy Matzah from Walmart" - Danny Feingold, AlterNet.org
Bad food, bad mood: "Bad Food Makes Bad Moods Worse, Study Finds" - Liz Leslie, Earth Eats
"Congress Protects Monsanto, Not Third Graders" - Carl Gibson, U.S. Uncut/Huffington Post

In bee news:

Bees on borage, Hunts Brook Farm, 2012 - A.Gross

"Revive the Hive: Cyclists and Beekeepers United to Save the Pollinators" - Erin Rupp, GOOD.is
"Are Agriculture's Most Popular Insecticides Killing Our Bees?" - Dan Charles, NPR.org

In climate and energy news:

"The Worst Way to Measure Energy Efficiency" - Chris Nelder, Slate.com
"Fracking Our Food Supply" - Elizabeth Royte, OnEarth.org

In farm justice news:

"Immigration Reform, Agriculture and Public Health" - Robert P. Martin, Civil Eats

And, to make you feel even more paranoid about your food, you might want to check out the Food Fraud Database from USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia Convention).

To end on a lighter note, here's really cool time-lapse footage of tomato seedlings:

Tomato Seedling Time Lapse from Dave (Splat) Le on Vimeo.

Chicken school: "Story of An Egg"

2013-03-11T15:16:00.001-04:00

Want to school your egg-loving friends? Need some clarification on "sustainable" food labels? Watch and share the documentary "Story of An Egg," a participating film in the 2013 PBS Online Film Festival, here:

Watch 2013 Festival | Story of an Egg on PBS. See more from PBS Online Film Festival.

Liked what you saw? Vote for the documentary here! Check out this film and other projects by the creative people at The Lexicon of Sustainability initiative.

Hungry, underfed in the U.S.: "A Place at the Table"

2013-02-27T12:02:00.000-05:00

Watch Jon Stewart's interview with Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson of "A Place at the Table," a documentary about hunger, food insecurity and food access in the U.S:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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The free-loading argument of receiving federal food assistance is long gone: 80% of SNAP recipients are working, employed individuals. There's no reason for hunger in the U.S. As Silverbush and Jacobson suggest, we can't simply blame the problems of food insecurity on a single entity, namely the government. It's time to magnify the interconnected flaws in our food system, and, our role as citizens to speak up. This film is a place to start the dialogue:

As Jeff Bridges suggests, if another country had our rates of food insecurity, we'd be at war or, at least, outraged. "A Place at the Table" is available on iTunes, OnDemand and select theaters this Friday, March 1. There's also a wealth of information on the film's site for action initiatives, public outreach and viewing options. Take a look. Re-blog, tweet or share this post or any information from "A Place at the Table" - just get the word out!!

The Perennial Plate: Female seed savers reclaiming the food system

2013-02-27T10:34:00.002-05:00

I'm currently working on a project that investigates seed saving networks and their role in promoting local food security and resiliency. (I know how amazingly boring that may sound...I'm working on a catchier pitch - suggestions welcome!) It largely began because I save some seeds, but I didn't know - and still don't know - fellow seed savers in my bioregion. In my early research, I'm surprised and delighted to read about seed saving in mainstream news publications on a more regular basis. I came across this beautiful, inspiring video from The Perennial Plate about female seed savers and farmers in India:

As Vandana Shiva (founder of Navdanya) states, "Most farmers are women. All seed savers are women...When women do farming, they do it for life. When women do farming, they do it for their children. They do it for nutrition. They do it for taste." This is why seed saving is so important: Seed saving preserves food, culture, history and empowers individuals. For these individuals in India, seed saving is a central, integral part of their livelihood and existence. My hope is that the more people, especially Americans and individuals in "developed" countries, who recognize the source of seeds and their corporate owners, the more they will acknowledge that seed saving is far more than a quaint hobby by backyard gardeners. Even with the prominence of GMOs, I don't think we're at a point yet in this country where seed saving is on-par with healthful, sustainably grown food dialogue. I hope we'll get there soon.

If you don't know about or follow The Perennial Plate, it's time to get on the wagon! Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine are talented storytellers who tirelessly shed light on all elements of our food system every week.

Family dinners as a 20-something

2013-02-26T23:50:00.000-05:00

Today, All Things Considered reported about the tradition of family dinners. It's a topic that seems to resonate with me more nowadays, as many of my friends are starting their families and the what-makes-a-good-kid subject is frequently addressed. I can't speak yet as a parent, but based on how my brothers and I turned out**, one tidbit of advice that I've gleaned from my childhood involves eating dinner around or at a table.

Start 'em young: Me (right) "helping" my favorite cousin Keilly.

Dinner wasn't routine; it was something we looked forward to from a young age. Dinner was our time to unload about our day. (Note to parents: Asking your child "how was your day?" as soon as they arrive home from school or their jobs is maddening; you won't get much more of a response than an unenthusiastic "good." Dinner is the time to grill your kid; they might even volunteer information.) Both my parents worked, we didn't have a ton of money and, of course, homework and after-school schedules consumed much of our time, but we still managed to eat together. Even in my mid-20s, I look forward to sharing meals with family and friends around a table.

So, I resent the reasoning that family dinners are an antiquated tradition. It's really easy to make excuses for not eating together. It often involves some iteration of being too busy. But, what does that mean exactly? Too busy to be a civilized human being for about a half-hour? Of course, the obvious reason to maintain this important social tradition is to nourish a support system and community. Yet, in my old age, my reasoning also involves a tinge of selfishness. Sitting down to eat food with others re-centers my mental state. Sitting down to dinner with family or friends forces me to reclaim a few calm (hopefully), mindful moments. It allows me to notice my surroundings, the food at my plate, and recognize and acknowledge the unique personalities and insights of my fellow diners.

But, enough about me. What's your take on the family dinner?

**Oh, by "turned out," I mean to suggest that the three of us are perfect, wildly successful and brilliant. Like geniuses. OK, an exaggeration, but we are all kind people, pretty smart, extremely capable individuals...and, not to be overlooked, excellent cooks.

Addressing that farming commercial

2013-02-04T23:39:00.000-05:00

My inbox was flooded - OK, more like, three or four e-mails - from friends asking if I saw the commercial. You know, "the farm one!" I promptly played it, and here it is (again) for your viewing pleasure:

I'll admit, I was moved. The voice of the late broadcaster Paul Harvey pronounces,

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.

I mean, come on! It celebrates the farmer, his rugged, weathered exterior, how he (notice the dominance of males...) hauls hay, drives combines, works countless hours, and is the master of his land. For a Super Bowl commercial and a car company, not bad; thanks for drawing attention to an iconic American hero and profession.

But, that's where my elation stops. The commercial is just that - antiquated, emotion-driven imagery of the farmer. Before you call me a buzzkill, here's my reasoning in brief:

Farmers are not quite the masters of their own destinies, or at least operations. Considerable consolidation of the livestock and commodities market in recent decades make farms bigger and place farmers under contract with large processors and companies. They must continue to produce and expand to stay viable and avoid succumbing to debt. Independence is not quite a part of the mainstream farming vernacular. Further, farms are no longer quaint family establishments or passed down generationally. According to a recent NPR report, the future of farms may not include many families.

I know, I know - commercials involve suspension of disbelief; yet, I am a farmer and am also in the midst of getting my graduate degree in sustainable food systems. This commercial was ripe for scrutiny! And just so you know, I'm not cynical. I have the utmost respect for fellow farmers; it's a lifestyle that constantly tests you and you have to truly love it. I just want people to be aware of what it really means to be a farmer today, including magnifying some sad statistics. I strongly believe that reform of the food and farm system is possible, if it's not already occurring; this new food paradigm, among other features, will truly celebrate and respect the farmer. Perhaps next year we can see a few greenhorns, women and other individuals that reflect the wider landscape of American farming. (Hmmm, but what company will use this in its advertisement?)

I'll end on a hopeful note and give a shout-out to that other thing people were watching yesterday - Downton Abbey. Daisy gets it: "No farmer's his own boss. He takes his orders from the sun, the wind, the snow and the rain."

Headline Harvest: Silencing factory farm reports; Bad news for organics; Colbert's take on climate change

2013-01-30T20:36:00.002-05:00

It's that time again! (I would have written something clever about grabbing a blanket and getting cozy by the fire, but it was 60 degrees here in CT today...in January.) So, get comfortable in your favorite reading spot and read the latest:

In keeping with this freakishly warm weather, a word from Mr. Colbert:

The Colbert Report

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In natural resources news:

"The Surprising Connection Between Food and Fracking" - Tom Philpott, Mother Jones
"Corporate Land Grabs Reveals a Hidden Agenda: Controlling Water" - Shiney Varghese, AlterNet.org (via IATP)
"Sediment Study Shows More Soil Conservation Needed" - Andrew Hug, EWG.org

In shortcomings-of-the-Farm-Bill-and-commodities news:

"34 States Shut Out of Organic Farm Program by Congress and White House" - Cornucopia Institute
"Farmers And Their Cooperative Settle Lawsuit On Fixing The Price Of Milk" - Peggy Lowe, NPR.org
"Fla. Tomato Growers Say Mexico Trade Deal Is Rotten" - Ted Robbins, NPR.org

In Ag-Gag vs. free speech news:

"Shocking: Reporting Factory Farm Abuses to be Considered 'Act of Terrorism' If New Laws Pass" - Katherine Paul, Ronnie Cummins, AlterNet.org

In food reform news:

"3 Steps the FDA Can Take in 2013 to Show It Is Protecting Americans from Harm" - Peter Lehner, Civil Eats
"No bad apples: Grocery store cuts waste and cost by selling imperfect fruit" - Dana Gunders, Grist.org

Hmm...

"Former Anti-GMO Activist Says Science Changed His Mind" - NPR

And, for a bit of nostalgia...

(via Urban Simplicity)

Headline Harvest: Monsanto doubles profits; kids offer hope through gardens; the quinoa problem

2013-01-23T00:47:00.000-05:00

It's colder than usual outside, so bundle up and pretend it's warmer with these freshly picked headlines (I know, I know...)

In GMO/Monsanto news:

"Monsanto's Earnings Nearly Double As They Create A Farming Monopoly" - Charlotte Silver, for Al Jazeera, as published on AlterNet.org

From the article: Monsanto knows that consumers won't voluntarily buy their products - a lesson learned in Europe when GE foods there were required to be labelled as such. In America, the company and its allies have spend millions to defeat local labelling initiatives, most recently in California. But if the company successfully crowds out conventional farmers, Americans won't have a choice - with or without a label."

"EU freezes approval of GM crops to 2014" - Agence France-Presse (AFP.com)
"Another Environmentalist Apologizes Over GMOs" - Ken Cook, EWG.org.

In consumer demand & awareness news:

"Can Healthy Eaters Stomach the Uncomfortable Truth About Quinoa?" - Joanna Blythman, The Guardian, as published on AlterNet.org

From the article: But there is an unpalatable truth to face for those of us with a bag of quinoa in the larder. The appetite of countries such as ours for this grain has pushed up prices to such an extend that poorer people in Peru and Bolivia, for whom it was once a nourishing staple food, can no longer afford to eat it...In Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken. Outside the cities, and fuelled by overseas demand, the pressure is on to turn land that once produced a portfolio of diverse crops into quinoa monoculture. (my emphasis added)

"12 Disturbing Facts About Farm Labor Conditions" - Roque Planas, Huffington Post

In farmland news:

"Organic Farmland Expanding Worldwide" - Sarah Gordon, Earth Eats (yet, the article finds that the U.S. is lagging far behind in expansion efforts)
"What Happens if the World's Soil Runs Out?" - GOOD.is

In kids-are-cute-and-full-of-hope news:

(From GOOD.is; to support this project, click here.)

Help fund "SEED: The Untold Story"!

2013-01-21T15:00:00.001-05:00

In addition to trying to understand and grapple with the nuances of farm subsidies, ag. policy and the complex farm bill, I'm also beginning research on seed saving (i.e. networks, banks, growers) in my bioregion for my grad. thesis. So, of course, I was delighted to hear about this opportunity to help fund a really important documentary, "SEED: The Untold Story" through Collective Eye Films (the creators of "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" and "Queen of the Sun"). Take a look:

From Collective Eye's Kickstarter page:

Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being. - Vandana Shiva

SEED: The Untold Story is a new documentary film that will investigate the dramatic story of seeds, the basis of life on earth. For 12,000 years man has been nurturing and cultivating seeds to form the backbone of civilization. Now, 94% of our seed varieties have been lost and many more are nearing extinction.

SEED unveils a David and Goliath battle for the future of our seeds by examining how five chemical corporations have taken control of seeds through patents, copyrights and genetic modification. These companies are placing ownership on the seeds, literally stealing the genetic material from our ancestors who nurtured these seeds for thousands of years. As Vandana Shiva says “the threat to seed freedom impacts the very fabric of human life and life on the planet.”

Entertaining and engaging, SEED follows heroes working tirelessly to preserve agricultural diversity as well as the rich knowledge held by indigenous cultures. These farmers, scientists, and seed collectors such as Gary Paul Nabhan, Bill McDorman, Vandana Shiva, Harald Hoven, Native American Emigdio Ballon and Winona LaDuke are the visionaries and caretakers of many of the world’s remaining seeds. On an absorbing journey following a diverse cast of characters, we will witness a brave new movement as these heroes struggle to create a vibrant web of biodiversity and resilience.

SEED will reveal the awe, wonder and hidden beauty of seeds. It will ignite the imagination of audiences, inspiring them to be part of a new movement to help sustain seed diversity. We will unearth the resilience and power that all seeds have to sustain, enliven and enrich our humanity.

How amazing does this project sound?! Remember, Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing sort of fundraising medium; if the filmmakers don't reach their goal, the film will not be made. So, help these filmmakers with their project and get the message out there about the incredibly imperative need to save seeds, bring food sovereignty to the forefront and promote food and farm literacy!

Watch, share, and, ideally, donate, please!

Seed Saving: Make it part of your food literacy resolution

2013-01-08T15:54:00.002-05:00

I'm in the early stage of my graduate thesis project and completely nerded out over the topic of seed saving. More specifically: Seed saving and what it means for local agricultural, cultural and environmental resiliency. Yup, it's an enormous topic but it has become one that is of increasing importance and prominence in my life as a grower and food eater. I'm interested in exploring the seed-to-seed life cycle of farming and the rich networks of plants, breeders and growers involved in the process. Of course, my proposed project is a bit more complex than I'm suggesting, but rather than bore you with the details, here's a piece about Seed Savers Exchange from Iowa Public Television to give you a taste of the subject:

Also, are you a seed saver? Are you a seed saver who lives in Connecticut or (southern) New England? If you can answer one or both of these questions with "yes," comment below and tell me about your experience!

NPR: "FDA Releases Rules To Strengthen Safety Of Food Supply"

2013-01-04T19:20:00.000-05:00

It's about time. Any actions toward wider, more stringent safety procedures and practices - and an eye on large farming operations - are certainly beneficial to the reform and health of our food system. Yet, I'm a bit wary of the argument made in the story that suggests that small farms should be included under the new FDA rules...

Food MythBusters: "Do we really need industrial agriculture to feed the world?"

2013-01-03T19:13:00.002-05:00

Food friends! What a perfect find for our year of food literacy (if I do say so myself).

What you just watched is the latest production by the Food MythBusters from the Real Food Media Project. The Project is the brainchild of Anna Lappe and Corporate Accountability International. Check out the Project's site - amazing!

It's an incredible resource to bookmark for insider food nerds like myself as well as, well, anyone who eats food. Visit, learn and share resources and/or the video you just watched.

Headline Harvest: 2012 wrap-ups; fiscal cliff reviews; fish, fruit and climate change

2013-01-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

Ah yes - a new year, a new bounty of food and farm news just for you! Time to settle in, drink a hot beverage and peruse the latest headlines:

2012: A review...

"2012: The Year in Food News" - Sarah Gordon, Earth Eats
"The Top 10 Stories of the Year in Agriculture, Food and Water" - Sara Sciammacco, Environmental Working Group
"The year in food and farming" - Twilight Greenaway, Grist.org
"The Year In Food Policy: What Passed, What Didn't - And What It Means for You" - Steve Holt, TakePart: Food
"A Year of Progress: The 5 Biggest Food-Movement Victories of 2012" - Megan Bedard, TakePart: Food

In fiscal cliff/farm policy news...

"Committee Leaders Agree To One-Year Farm Bill Extension" - Sarah Gordon, Earth Eats
"Congress extends farm bill, still manages to screw sustainable farmers" - Twilight Greenaway, Grist.org
"Don't like today's food monopolies? Blame Robert Bork" - Tom Laskawy, Grist.org

In climate news...

"Chilling effect: How warmer winters could ruin fruit" - Rachel Cemansky, Grist.org
"Drought Puts The Squeeze On Already Struggling Fish Farms" - Kristofor Husted

In GMO news...

"6 Reasons GMO Labeling Will Pass in Washington State" - Ronnie Cummins, AlterNet.org
"Are You Ready for GMO Surf-and-Turf?" - Clare Leschin-Hoar, TakePart: Food

Hmmm...

"A New Year's Resolution: Put Animals on an Antibotics Diet" - Laura Rogers, Civil Eats
"The Problem With All of This 'Overweight People Live Longer' News" - Lindsay Abrams, The Atlantic

In hopeful news...

"Sustenance After Hurricane Sandy" - Rebecca Manski, Civil Eats
"Haiti's Women Farmers: 'We Will Rise Again'" - Elizabeth Stevens, Oxfam
"Immigrant farmers grow against the odds" - Jennifer Langston, Grist.org
"Millennials Suit Up as Next-Generation Farmers" - Amy DuFault

And, because I can...

(from: HistoryGallery.com)

The fiscal cliff and what it means for farmers

2013-01-02T16:25:00.001-05:00

You can pretty much find a connection between food and farming and any piece of major legislative action in the U.S., which are often, if not always, detrimental to small farmers and growers. The fiscal cliff debacle is no exception. Here's the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition take, via its press release. Take a read:

January 1 Farm Bill Extension Deal is a Disaster for Farmers

Washington, DC – The farm bill extension deal reached in negotiations between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Joe Biden is a disaster for farmers and the American people. The nine month extension measure was attached to the bigger fiscal cliff bill and passed by the Senate early this morning and is coming up for a vote in the House later today.

The deal is blatantly anti-reform. The full Senate and the House Agriculture Committee earlier this year agreed to permanently eliminate direct payment subsidies for commodity production regardless of price and income conditions, yet the deal would lock in those egregious subsidies for another full year at a $5 billion price tag. On the other hand, many smaller, targeted programs to fund farm and food system reform and rural jobs, included in a weekend agreement between Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow and House Agriculture Chair Frank Lucas, were left out completely. Also left out of the final deal is any workable dairy policy for the next year and any disaster aid for livestock and fruit producers. The deal also has the effect of keeping farmers from being able to improve soil and water conservation through enrollment in the Conservation Stewardship Program at the present time. We are extremely disappointed in the Republican leadership for proposing this deal and in the White House for accepting it. The message is unmistakable – direct commodity subsidies, despite high market prices, are sacrosanct, while the rest of agriculture and the rest of rural America can simply drop dead.

We commend the Agriculture Committee leadership for trying to pass a more responsible extension measure, and on behalf of our member organizations and the farmers they represent we recommit ourselves to getting a true farm and food bill reform measure passed in 2013. (emphasis added)

Yikes. Looks like there's work to do in 2013. Where do we get started?

2013 Resolution: Become food literate!

2013-01-01T15:13:00.001-05:00

Happy 2013! Yes, I know, it's been quite awhile - my last post was in October! (Yikes!). Maybe it's the hopefulness of a new year or a bad cold that is affording me ample time to blog from the couch, but I'm eager to return to blogging. Let's get started...

I came across this infographic from GOOD.is and Column Five called America's Fresh Food Movement. (Click image to enlarge.)

Some positive facts:

70% of consumers get their fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets.
97% of consumers consider health an important reason as to why they buy fresh fruit and vegetables.
64% of respondents also consider environmentally friendly growing practices and local sources as "very important" factors in their purchase of fresh foods.
89% of survey participants agree that "community should play a role in ensuring locally grown fresh food is accessible to local residents."

So, what does this mean for you and me in 2013? It's time that we continue and improve these positive trends as individuals and as members of our communities. If there's one think I learned in my first year of study in graduate school (shout out to Green Mountain College MSFS community!). But, how? Become food literate, which is easier said than done. One way you can become food educated is to not only participant and become knowledgeable on food politics, issues and stakeholders in your local region but also what is happening on a national and international level.

One such topic: the Farm Bill. Although intimidating at first mention, the Farm Bill is worth discovering and understanding because, well, we all eat! Rather than relying on news briefs from mainstream media sources, there are a few comprehensive, analytical and amazing well-written resources that make the U.S. Farm Bill digestible. Keith Good's FarmPolicy.com is one of my favorites, as well as Daniel Imhoff's "Food Fight" (everyone should own a copy of this book!), the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), the Center for Rural Affairs, Environmental Working Group, and the Farm Bill Budget Visualizer.

Better understanding and investigating the Farm Bill and agricultural policy will certainly be on my list of New Year's resolutions. As a food nerd, I'm excited that my next grad course is on the Farm Bill. I'm hoping to post more of my findings here on SWYF and post more often in order to engage you, my loyal readers.

Have any Farm Bill or food resources you'd like to share? I'll be updating my resource lists, so any suggestions are welcome. Also, do you have any food or farm related resolutions? If so, what are they?

Must watch: "Seeds of Freedom"

2012-10-06T21:26:00.001-04:00

About the film (from Seeds of Freedom site):

Seeds of Freedom charts the story of seed from its roots at the heart of traditional, diversity rich farming systems across the world, to being transformed into a powerful commodity, used to monopolise the global food system.The film highlights the extent to which the industrial agricultural system, and genetically modified (GM) seeds in particular, has impacted on the enormous agro -biodiversity evolved by farmers and communities around the world, since the beginning of agriculture.

Seeds of Freedom seeks to challenge the mantra that large-scale, industrial agriculture is the only means by which we can feed the world, promoted by the pro-GM lobby. In tracking the story of seed it becomes clear how corporate agenda has driven the take over of seed in order to make vast profit and control of the food global system.

Through interviews with leading international experts such as Dr Vandana Shiva and Henk Hobbelink, and through the voices of a number of African farmers, the film highlights how the loss of indigenous seed goes hand in hand with loss of biodiversity and related knowledge; the loss of cultural traditions and practices; the loss of livelihoods; and the loss of food sovereignty. The pressure is growing to replace the diverse, nutritional, locally adapted and resilient seed crops which have been bred by small-scale farmers for millenia, by monocultures of GM seed.

Alongside speakers from indigenous farming communities, the film features global experts and activists Dr Vandana Shiva of Navdanya, Henk Hobbelink of GRAIN, Zac Goldsmith MP (UK Conservative party), Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace International, Gathuru Mburu of the African Biodiversity Network, Liz Hosken of The Gaia Foundation and Caroline Lucas MP (UK Green party).

This film is co-produced by The Gaia Foundation and the African Biodiversity Network. In collaboration with GRAIN, Navdanya International and MELCA Ethiopia.

Food politics with Mr. Ron Swanson

2012-09-21T20:47:00.000-04:00

Fans of Parks and Recreation and food - unite!

Ron Swanson: TV's greatest food advocate?

Nix the bugs, fix our food: "Meat Without Drugs"

2012-07-25T18:12:00.000-04:00

Check out more - including a list of how to understand if your food has antibiotics in them - from the Meat Without Drugs campaign by Consumers Union and FixFood.

Also, if you shop at Trader Joe's, you should sign this petition to urge the company to nix antibiotics in its meat products!

Talk of the Nation: "Effects Of Midwest Drought Spread Across Nation"

2012-07-20T19:15:00.000-04:00

Buzzing bees

2012-07-09T16:39:00.000-04:00

Honey bee on borage

Gosh, sometimes my job is really cool.

"To eat good food is to be close to God."

2012-06-29T20:53:00.000-04:00

Why do I love farming? Of course, I could give you a deeply philosophical response, peppering it with the sage wisdom of Wendell Berry, Liberty Hyde Bailey, Hippocrates, the go-to Michael Pollan and other agrarian-minded thinkers. However, my honest, extremely primal answer as to why I love my job is, well, the food! (Thus, the rationale behind the post title, from Primo of the food lover's favorite movie, "Big Night." So, in my defense: I'm not using the Lord's name in vain when I react to the flavors of fresh, unbelievably delicious food; rather, it's an expression of a spiritual awakening of sorts...)

After a grueling week, my friend (shout-out - Nicole!) and I prepared ourselves an epic, well-deserved meal, with the latest from the field. The menu?

Mixed vegetable frittata with fresh garlic
Chopped salad with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, basil, avocado and mixed lettuces
Simple tomato, mozzarella and basil salad

Roasted zucchini boats with cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese

And, last, but not least..chocolate zucchini cake:

In a word: Unreal. The ingredients pretty much cooked themselves.

If no other reason to eat seasonally, locally grown (preferably grown by farmers using sustainable environmental and social practices), it's this: Consume it for the immense joy and satisfaction that you get from preparing, eating, savoring the bounty and sharing the meal with friends.

I recognize that I have become quite fortunate/spoiled to work on farms over the past few years and have subsequently grown to expect this type of delicious food. It's a tough lifestyle, but I'm up for the challenge!

Want a recipe? Leave a comment and I'll post the most popular request.

PBS: "As Farmers Age, Japan Rethinks Relationship With Food, Fields"

2012-06-14T19:38:00.000-04:00

Watch As Farmers Age, Japan Rethinks Relationship With Food, Field on PBS.

See more from PBS NewsHour.

Check out more amazing stories about food access, justice and accessibility as
part of the Food for 9 Billion project, an initiative by the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Will Allen on The Colbert Report!

2012-06-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

Food and farm nerds, rejoice! The legendary and inspiring Will Allen was on The Colbert Report. Take a look!

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Will Allen

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive