Farming groups resort to Machiavellian defense of indefensible practices
Spin-dustrial ag: Two dozen of the nation's largest and best-funded farm groups have formed a coalition to counter poor publicity, reports the AP (LAtimes.com).
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Beet me up: Six summery ways to enjoy the sweetest root vegetable
I peek under our hoop house garden bed to check the progress of the hundred beets we planted early in the winter. The greens look healthy and strong. For two months I have resisted the urge to harvest baby beets early. On occasion, I did harvest a few beets under the auspices of "thinning the bed." (Sometimes thinning a garden bed is necessary to give the growing beets enough space to reach their potential; other times it is an excuse to sample your bounty.) Our waiting has paid off as we harvest an abundant and tasty crop. It was the health benefits of beets that convinced us to dedicate a large portion of our spring garden to this particular root crop. Beets are mineral rich, and they may also fight cancer with their high concentration of the antioxidant compound betalain. That's the compound that gives dark red beets their deep color. We planted heirloom beets, which have
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Shedding light on a permaculture farm: Review of “Bioshelter Market Garden”
As small farmers look for ways to cut costs and increase their profit margins, they focus more attention on the energy used on the farm. Whether they implement energy efficiency measures or find ways to produce home-grown energy (through wind, solar, biofuel, and more), farmers who examine the energy invested in their business often discover new ways to practice good stewardship on their land. Darrell Frey is one of those conscious stewards. He started homesteading in the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s and soon
Slow what?: Review of “Slow Gardening”
By now, I’m sure that all good Ethicurean readers are familiar with Slow Food and the tenets of this movement: the pleasure of good, clean, fair food and celebrating our many food traditions. The idea of “Slow” has shown up in other organizations and ideas, such as Slow Cities and Slow Money, both of which encourage local engagement in community and economic life. Now the concept of “Slow
Minding common ground: “Poly-farming” in northeast Ohio
Just about any road I take that leads me out of Wooster, Ohio, very quickly guides me past vast fields of corn or soybeans. Agriculture plays a vital role in Wayne County’s economy, and for several decades now, commodity crops have contributed more than their fair share to our local economy. Smaller farms that emphasize fruits and vegetables (so-called “specialty” or “differentiated” crops) are harder to spot on a drive down a country highway, but these farms have started to make a larger impact on the Wayne County agricultural scene. Not
For Labor Day: Farmworkers’ Rights Still in the Toilet
Cross-posted from the TEDxFruitvale blog. (Why? Read this.) Today is Labor Day, a time when most Americans think of barbecues and Mondays off, not so much the people who picked the potatoes in that salad and the peaches in the cobbler, or who slaughtered and processed the steer that became that hamburger. Chances are they were paid very little for this hot, often dangerous work. As
The Ethicurean lives! An update, in which I come out of my corporate closet
Tap, tap. Is this thing on? Does it still work? Wait, let me clear away the cobwebs from the microphone. Is that better? Can you hear me now? All five of you? (Hi mom! Hi Jack!) What readers remain may have wondered when someone was going to put this blog out of its misery. I certainly have. Unfortunately, as the only person who cofounded it who is still actively working on it — if you can count editing a monthly post as “active” — that decision fell to me, and I just couldn’t bear to pull the plug yet. Not only were Marc, Jennifer, and Amanda still watering the cactus with the occasional new post,
Helping out the Milk Board’s new PMS campaign
The California Milk Processor's Board, which brought us the Got Milk? campaign, urges men this week to tell their cranky, about-to-menstruate women: "You really need to drink more milk." Men can get their PMS education on a new website "Everything I Do Is Wrong." Women may find the site confusing at first glance: "Who's supposed to buy the milk for whom?" "Can milk really help my clueless, bumbling husband?" To reduce consumer confusion, I offer a tool designed right here in California's dairy country, in an historic
Goats: An overlooked pasture-raised animal
Goats grazing in Ethiopia (iStockphoto) Goat meat is already very popular around the world – the Washington Post claims that goat makes up almost 70 percent of the red meat eaten globally – and its popularity could increase in the U.S. because of the convergence of several things: renewed interest in grass-fed animals; openings of new butcher shops or revitalization of old shops (such as Avedano's in San Francisco's Bernal Heights), and increasing numbers of U.S. residents from Latin America and South Asia. With a bit of
Bounty hunters: A review of two new local-foods cookbooks
As the local food movement expands and the numbers of small farms, CSA programs, and farmers markets increase, so grows the crop of cookbooks aimed at helping people make the best use of that seasonal bounty. Following in the path of Deborah Madison’s excellent overview of America’s farmers markets, Local Flavors, two new cookbooks share the joys of
Endangered, eh? Canada Scientists Confirm Bluefin Tuna Are in Deep Trouble
By Catherine Kilduff, Center for Biological Diversity * Updated on June 2, 2011 by Marc R.* It’s official: We really are fishing to extinction a fish that has sustained us for millennia, the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). Last week Canada’s scientists declared the Atlantic bluefin tuna endangered, meaning it faces imminent extirpation or extinction. The scientists found the populations at an all-time low, having declined 68 percent over the past two-and-a-half generations. This science-based assessment is the first step in which the Atlantic bluefin tuna could
Highlights and questions from the Natural Products Expo West trade show
In March I attended the Natural Products Expo West, one of the largest trade shows for the natural products industry. Produced by New Hope Natural Media, the show had hundreds of exhibitors promoting their products — companies looking for new distribution, looking for new buyers, testing new flavors or formulations, and so on — and dozens of networking and educational events, including one about sustainable seafood for which I was a panelist. (Disclosure: New Hope paid me to be on the panel, but not to write this post or to review any of these products.) I
Digest: Your news, pre-chewed
Meet Roll International, the biggest dastardly agribiz mega-corps you’ve never heard of
Pom not-so-wonderful at all: John Gibler's epic, top-notch feature on Roll International – "or, as their website proclaims: 'the largest privately held company you’ve never heard of,' owner of Paramount Farming, the largest grower and processor of
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Chicago drugstores begin selling fresh food
Rx for health: Chicago-area Walgreens have begun selling "an expanded selection of food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, at 10 locations selected because they were in food deserts." Turns out that drugstores are one of the few chain businesses
Farmers caught lying about produce origins and pesticide-free-ness
Rotten tomatoes: It had to happen. With demand for SOLE food surging, and farmers able to charge a premium for it, it's no surprise that some unscrupulous characters would see an opportunity to make a quick buck without getting their hands dirty. An NBCLA
“Wise Guyer”: MA state rep plans CDC with agricultural focus
Denis Guyer, a state representative from Western Massachusetts (2nd Berkshire District) plans a community development corporation (CDC) that will foster "agrepreneurs." The proposed mixed-use space would include a combination of affordable housing, a
Hey USDA & DoJ: Ranchers want more competition in the cattle industry
Big hats carrying small sticks: The CEO of R-Calf, which represents cattle raisers, has been criss-crossing the country, exhorting people to get to Fort Collins, Colorado, on Aug. 27th for a federal-level workshop about competition in the cattle industry.
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Even fishermen suspicious of Gulf shrimp
Po' po-boys: Monday marked the opening of shrimp season in Louisiana. Federal officials say Gulf seafood safe to eat, but shrimpers themselves are dubious, reports the Washington Post. Some worry that the government's testing -- which has yet to turn
San Francisco set to approve zoning changes for backyard farming for cash
Summer of urban-ag love: The Bay Area is known as a bastion of urban farming and the local food movement, but "laws governing land use are still stuck in another era, one that frowned on farming in the city, especially in residential areas," reports Zusha
Foraging restaurant and suppliers adapt to new rules
Forage gleans a new strategy: When Forage restaurant opened in Los Angeles's Silver Lake neighborhood, they used produce from customers' backyards to supplement their normal produce purchases, paying for the backyard produce with food or drink from the
Richmond has a farmers market on wheels
The meals on the bus go round and round: In Richmond, Virginia, Mark Lilly has transformed a 1987 diesel school bus into a mobile produce market called Farm to Family, which also has a CSA program. The interior is really cool looking -- what a great idea
Living on Earth looks at sargassum seaweed and Brazilian soy
The July 16 episode of Living on Earth had two interesting food-related pieces, each accompanied by a transcript and MP3 download: The wide sargasso seizure: The first covered sargassum seaweed, the primary vegetation that collects in the Sargasso Sea,
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Russ Parsons on ‘Four Fish’ — the one food-politics book to read
Net prophet: "There are few things in life more complicated than sorting through the various ethical implications of which fish you should be eating," writes Russ Parsons in this review of Four
New law in Michigan makes it easier to sell homemade foods
A new law in Michigan makes it easier for home cooks and bakers to sell certain types of foods at farmers markets, fairs, flea markets and other locations (but not grocery stores or restaurants). Under the law, people can sell up to $15,000 of food made
Helping veterans become farmers
From fields of war to fields of crops: The Davis, California-based Farmer Veteran Coalition put on a job fair in southern California last week, giving veterans a chance to learn about potential careers in the food and farming business. One of the exhibitors
“Sugar is sugar is sugar” says Coke to Honest Tea
Sweet talk: In early 2008, Honest Tea sold a minority stake, for $43 million, to Coca-Cola. As this interesting NY Times Small Business article notes, meshing the two companies' sensibilities has not always gone smoothly. In particular, Coke objected
