Outrage served up with funny graphics and a rollickin’ song, over on YouTube (alas, darn WordPress will not seem to let me embed the video):
…Now the corporations they will tell you
It’s about feeding people in need
But it isn’t really very hard to see
That it’s really just about corporate greed
They patent the food in the Third […]

Early-onset foodie-ness: Pint-sized gastronomes take “mini-chef” classes, eat five-course tasting menus. And now it’s apparently not enough to play Mozart in the womb, you also have to eat foie gras? New York Times
French women do get fat: And guess what? It’s for all the same reasons Americans do — sodas, too much TV and fast […]

I know we’re lucky to get a variety of greens in the winter here in Northern California, unlike our Canadian readers who are driving to Vermont for kale, or eyeing the limp imports warily. But I am sick of kale, chard, spinach, bok choy, even lettuce. I want tomatoes, dammit! I held some bright […]

Two weeks ago, during a rosemary-filled day of cooking, I picked and chopped more rosemary than was needed. The rosemary came from the smaller bush outside our back door.
I like fresh herbs over dried herbs, and I didn’t want to dry the already chopped leaves or throw them away. Fortunately, we have a small, airtight […]

No more “organic” imports: Britain’s Soil Association is considering withholding the organic label from food that has been imported by air because of the unsustainable “food miles” it has traveled. Guardian (UK)
This little piggy was raised on a farm: An article in the travel section, of all places, extols the gustatory — and ethical — […]

From the rabble-arousers who brought us The Meatrix I, II, and II 1/2, as well as Store Wars…
Take a gander at Free Range Studios‘ latest short film, “The Mouth Revolution!”
Who said the food revolution couldn’t be fun?

Shocking good news: Smithfield Foods, the nation’s largest hog producer (aka The Death Star of Pork), is voluntarily phasing out the use of “farrowing crates,” the too-tiny cages for nursing sows that animal-welfare activists have been successfully banning through several state votes. However, it is only for facilities that Smithfield actually owns — like many […]

Last week I asked readers how they eat locally in winter. A few MidWesterners responded, and I decided to call Mom of La Muncha, who lives in Northern New Mexico, to see what local options are like in in the high country. Also, check out our guest post from Montreal.
Meanwhile, here in Seattle […]

California farmers have lost more than $1 billion in citrus, avocados, strawberries, spring vegetables, and artichokes, according to yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle. Once upon a time, I would have heard that news and not thought twice about it. There was always more citrus that could be flown in from around the world to keep me […]

Article most guaranteed to make you feel inadequate: A 16-year-old Canadian named Luke Hayes-Alexander is not only the dedicated, driven executive chef of his family’s restaurant in Kingston, but he makes his own charcuterie and smoked banana ice cream. If the poor kid weren’t painfully shy, we’d say he’s a TV show ripe for plucking. […]

You know what I love about being ecologically conscious? It’s so frugal. I’m from Dutch people, so this appeals to me very much.
Take broth, for instance. Instead of dumping five bucks a box on organic free-range chicken or beef broth, I can make my own. Vegetable broth is even more satisfying. […]

Farm Bill 101: Tom Philpott plans to analyze the political economy of farming and suggest a socially and environmentally sustainable farm policy. (Someone has to do it, and we’re glad he’s volunteered.) The 2007 Farm Bill will affect everybody who cares about what they eat, and/or about the environment, so if you’re unsure how agricultural […]

Dairy Queen here: To me, one of the best parts of being involved in this blog is getting to read my five fellow Ethicureans’ points of view, hailing from different parts of the country and with varying preoccupations. In this case, I think, many cooks just makes for more interesting soup.
We would love to […]

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for spring. We may be spoiled here in the Bay Area, with lettuce year round, but it’s not like we have tomatoes and cucumbers and all the rest of salad stuff. I’ve been trying pretty hard to eat seasonally, but boy am I tired of cabbage […]

Fiber — like armor for your gut: Thought there was nothing new to say about last year’s E. coli outbreaks? Think again. This op-ed says the best defense against the bad bugs starts with your own stomach: eat more fiber, so your gut’s bacteria can fight off invaders. Recommended are onions, leeks, garlic, chicory and […]