Section » Agtivism: Growing, cooking, doing
One sick chicken
With a few exceptions, the animals on my farm are not pets. My sheep and chickens have jobs to do -- eating grass and bugs, making eggs and meat and babies. If they don't do their job, they don't stay on my farm. My Buff Orpington in happier, healthier days. That isn't to say that I don't treat them well or care what happens to them. In stark contrast
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Notes from a new farmer: Q&A with Michael Gallagher, Square Roots Farm
In every school, there is a legendary former student -- the one whose academic prowess knew no bounds. "Brilliant," people marvel about this student, even decades later. "That kid was brilliant." (Or, here in New England, you might hear: "Wicked smaaaaaht.") At my daughter's school, that individual is
Math lessons for Budiansky: Industrial concentration vs. local choice
On Friday, New York Times op-ed contributor Steven Budiansky challenged local food advocates to rethink their math, mainly about food miles. As it happens, I was already doing some food calculations that day -- but not of the sort
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. He wants 25,000 to show up and "send a message
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Neophobia 101: When picky eaters confound Ethicureanish intentions
My four-year old ate a vegetable frittata the other day. Mind you, this hardly ranks among the most staggering of childhood achievements. It's not exactly up there with the 2-year-old
Cooking outside the zone: Agretti, paired with fregola
At last week's farmers market, one of my outside the zone choices (made in honor of National Farmers Market Week) was agretti (Salsola soda) from La
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 restaurant and often noting the donor's name on
Cooking outside the comfort zone: green tomatoes
In the world of science, there's something called "publication bias," which recognizes that studies with positive results are more likely to be published than studies with negative ones. I suspect there is a similar bias
Cooking outside my comfort zone, Part 2: Fresh chickpeas
Last week, I vowed to escape my farmers market rut and cook outside my comfort zone in honor of National
Cooking outside my comfort zone, pt. 1: A remembrance of squash blossoms past
In honor of Farmers Market Week next week, I vowed here to get out of my market rut and cook outside my comfort zone. That's how I came
Cook outside your comfort zone in honor of National Farmers Market Week
It's the height of summer, and the tables of farmers markets around the country are overflowing with firm-fleshed, scarlet tomatoes; bunches of fragrant basil; and -- depending on where you live -- juicy stone fruits, avocados,
Want to grow food on City of Oakland land? Here’s how
By Stephanie Paige Ogburn We’ve all seen it: the vacant lot down the street that gets full sun, or the underused city park choked over with weeds. And many of us have thought: I bet that would be a great community garden space, if some enterprising growers
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U-Pick, u-pack, u-preserve cherry madness
By Mat Rogers Recently my wife and I took a day trip to the cherry and apricot orchards of Enos Family Farms in Brentwood, California, which offers pick-your-own-fruit
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 outside of an inspected kitchen without a license.
Yes we icon: SOLE food movement needs images
To mark the opening of "Water, Rivers and People (Agua, Ríos y Pueblos)," a photography exhibition about people's relationship with rivers and their struggle to protect them from destructive dams, mining projects, and other threats, International Rivers
