Section » Fruits and vegetables
Meet your greens, part 2: Industry seeks to outfox FDA
This is the second in a series of posts on my week in Monterey, CA, where I attended the first of seven USDA hearings around the country on an industry proposal to create a national marketing agreement on the safety of leafy greens.
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Meet your greens: National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement hearings, Week 1
This is the first in a short series on the National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement hearings held September 22-24 in Monterey, CA. I packed a suit for three days of USDA hearings over an industry-proposed
This space is preserved: Checking out “Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest”
Come summer, I dream of the carefree days of my childhood, when endless sunshine meant days spent outdoors or trips to the lake or just a general sense of freedom from drudgery. I dream of those, of course, because I now work through the summer and spend a good deal of my free time working in the garden
School lunch reform: A pipe dream or a deluge?
The kids will have their... whole wheat roll?: The momentum is building for big changes to the national school lunch program, reports Kim Severson in the New York Times. Ann Cooper, the chef who famously transformed lunches in the Berkeley school system and has since moved on to Boulder, Colorado, is
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NYT mag on obesity: Don’t punish, politicize
Who paves the road for the responsibility bandwagon?: Were it up to him, Cleveland Clinic heart surgeon Delos Cosgrove would amend the clinic's wellness policy--which already bans the hiring of smokers--to include a ban on the hiring of obese people. His is a hard-line approach linking obesity to personal
Do I dare to eat a peach? Not a conventional one, says Tribune study
Another day, another facet to the debate over whether organic produce is worth the extra moolah. Unless you've been living on a remote mountaintop with no wireless, you've probably witnessed the recent frenzy over a UK
Michigan food processors turn groundwater orange
Orange you glad I didn't say arsenic?: It's common practice among Michigan's fruit and vegetable processors to spray their untreated wastewater, heavy with sugars and salts, onto nearby fields. After years of putting up with the spraying, nearby residents are complaining that large processors like Birds
California’s tree crops are screwed, says new report
Things heat up in the nation's produce basket: Tree crops like apples, cherries, pears, walnuts and almonds rely on a chilly winter to set the stage for a productive spring and summer. But in a study released today, UC Davis scientists report
Glean a little goodness: California groups forage for fresh food
This piece about gleaning and foraging groups in California first appeared in the most recent e-newsletter from the Northern California chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign, a project of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. To sign up for the monthly e-newsletter, visit the Buy
I can, you can, we all can!: Essential books for preserving seasonal bounty
Well, that sure happened fast. One day I was bundling up in a coat to head outside, and the next thing you know, the weather turned downright summery here in northeastern Ohio. The early crops I planted at the beginning of April are starting to overwhelm me with their bounty — loads of lettuce, reams
In DC, farmers market vouchers will soon aid families on assistance
A few dollars can add up: Needy families are flocking to farmers markets in Massachusetts, California, and Connecticut thanks to an innovative program that doubles the value of food stamps and fruit and vegetable coupons for low-income mothers and senior citizens. The Wholesome Wave Foundation provides
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Golden State’s blueberry production up, prices in the red
Singing the blues: Through years of hard work, California farmers have dramatically increased their blueberry production, and the state is on track to become the third largest U.S. producer. Success took new, heat-tolerant varieties based on old tropical breeds, understanding the plants' soil and irrigation
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Preserving the season
Bottling the magic of the bounty: It's time to start thinking about how to preserve some of the bounty of spring and summer. A feature article by Julia Moskin in the New York Times has advice and opinion from several prominent practitioners, a brief overview of food safety issues, and more. Moskin points
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Inside David Mas Masumoto’s orchard
Peach paranoia: Anxiety, fatigue, obsession. These are some of the feelings experienced by peach grower extraordinare David Mas Masumoto (and author of such books as Epitath for a Peach). He is plagued by questions: Did it rain too much? Too little? Did the April heat wave damage the trees? Farming
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Disney moving aggressively into branded fresh-produce market
No Dumbos here: This article in today's WashPo business section details how, over the past few years, Disney has distanced itself from junk food and expanded its association with healthier products. There are more than 250 offerings in the Disney Garden line, including Disney-branded eggs and a High
