Archive for May, 2009
Ethicurean redesign is a little half-baked
Whenever I attempt to have more than four people over for dinner at a time, I quickly get out of my depth. I don't plan what has to go in the oven when very well, and inevitably I'm racing around in a sweaty freak-out until just minutes before the guests arrive — and sometimes even after. It's not a pretty sight. Well, this is a little bit like that. It's
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Ask the Ethicurean: How do I work to change the food system?
We recently received an email from a reader asking for career advice on how best to make a difference in the food system. He has given me permission to post it here with his name removed — I'll call him Reader D instead. Our suggestions follow, and we'd love to hear yours as well. I have been reading
WHO: Pork isn’t safe. Yes it is. No it’s not.
WHO should we believe?: Yesterday Reuters reported that Meat from pigs infected with the new H1N1 virus shouldn't be used for human consumption, the World Health Organisation cautioned on Wednesday.…[WHO] said it was possible for
Local Roots update: Market plans proceeding in Wooster, OH
Farmers market season is just weeks away here in northeastern Ohio, and local growers have worked long days to get their crops planted after a slow start to spring. Behind the scenes at Local Roots, the we've put in long hours, too, planting our own seeds for a year-round farmers market in Wooster. We've
Family farm advocate named GIPSA head
Sunshine comes to the stockyards: USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack wins some more fans in these quarters by naming Dudley Butler to head the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). (USDA
A big O no! Oprah teams up with KFC
Bucket O' misery: Oprah Winfrey has teamed up with Kentucky Fried Chicken to offer a downloadable coupon from KFC for two pieces of grilled chicken, two sides, and a biscuit. (Los Angeles Times) Ugh. America's
Know thy enemy: Smithfield’s porky expansion into Eastern Europe
Portrait of the corporation as sociopath: There's some essential reading about the pork company we love to hate in the Times' business section this morning (thanks Holly!). Facing increasing restrictions in the U.S. about odor control, manure management,
Everybody loves Polyface Farm
Pope Joel: Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm has become Mecca for sustainable agriculture tourists, with farm-tour reservations as hard to get as Spago in the '80s. (Washington Post) We're
Freeze! Avoid food waste and save time with these savvy tips
Cold shouldering: Here at cash-strapped Ethicurean headquarters, we've been mining our freezer for meals for the past few weeks. James Beard awardwinner Mark Bittman tells how to use the big old appliance more efficiently, to freeze raw ingredients you have too much of — or whose life you simply wish
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Profile of TLC Ranch, a small Bay Area farm aiming for middle-size
Tender loving carers: TLC owner Jim Dunlop (the farm's name actually stands for Tastes Like Chicken) currently raises 5,000 laying hens and about 200 pigs per year on 20 rented acres just south of the Santa Cruz County line. Thanks to Bay Area demand, bsusiness is brisk, but Dunlop and his wife, Rebecca
Beef industry not fans of Meatless Mondays, surprisingly
Moderation or abomination?: The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future has called on Obama to re-institute "Meatless Mondays," something previous presidents did in wartime. The Center says it is making the request to promote better health and better environmental practices. The beef industry, of course,
Organic agriculture gets $50M boost from USDA
Feeling like 50 million bucks: Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced $50 million for a new initiative to meet the Obama Administration's promise to encourage more organic agriculture production. The 2009 Organic Initiative, to be funded as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives
New swine flu game spreads virally around Internet
Zap-atistas: Swinefighter - The Swine Flu Game is a whack-a-mole-type game whose popularity must be driving Big Pork nuts. (Time magazine) We can hear their squeals now: "The doctor should
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If there’s ever a serious pandemic, we’re in deep shit
Stay home and call your doctor?: Billions of dollars spent on Homeland Security and biodefense in the U.S., and one very sick WSJ reporter can't get tested for swine flu, even once admitted to the hospital and placed in isolation. (Wall
