March 2009 | Simple, Good and Tasty, page 4

Photos from the Birchwood Cafe

Posted in Books & Media on Sun, 03/15/2009 - 11:49am by lee -

birchwood-watermark1 The Birchwood Cafe, located at 3311 East 25th Street in Minneapolis (612.722.4474), serves terrific food that is local, sustainable, organic, and fair-trade. It's got a terrific neighborhood feel, a solid wine list, an amazing breakfast, and the best vegetarian Juicy Lucy well, ever. The many people who sing the Birchwood's praises include an amazing number of regulars, including my friend, Photographer Chris Bohnhoff.

Dorset Cereals: "Honest, Tasty, and Real"

Posted in Out & About on Sat, 03/14/2009 - 5:55am by lee -

Honest, tasty, and real. That's the claim Dorset Cereals makes on their website, and it's hard to refute. Dorset cereals, including the Berries and Cherries muesli I picked up at the Wedge a few weeks back, are made from whole, natural, terrific ingredients. Lots of dried fruits, all sorts of meusli and flakes.

Local Meat Sources and the National Animal ID System (NAIS)

Posted in News & Views on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 11:38am by lee -

Just found this scary post by Leslie Berliant at Sustainablog, discussing the National Animal ID System (NAIS), a group ostensibly created to curb the cow2 outbreak of diseases. Quoting David E.

Brasa Serves Up Local Food, Caribbean Style

Posted in Out & About on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 5:31am by lee -

brasa-food1 Brasa, a self-described "premium rotisserie" in Northeast Minneapolis (just down the block from the Red Stag Supper Club), serves only three meats:

Michael Pollan Wants Your Help

Posted in Books & Media on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 10:41am by lee -

pollan I think if I skpped the whole Minneapolis thing and just wrote about Michael Pollan, I'd still be a busy man. This is from the NYTimes.com Well page. In Pollan's words:

Minneapolis Sustainable Food Initiative

Posted in News & Views on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 5:22am by lee -

minneapolis-sustainable The move towards sustainable food has not been lost on the city of Minneapolis. The City of Minneapolis Sustainable Food Initiative website lists these benefits associated with eating local, sustainable food:

Michael Pollan at TED (2007)

Posted in Books & Media on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 6:12pm by lee -

"Lawns as totalitarian landscapes"? This is a 17-minute presentation that Michael Pollan gave in 2007 entitled "The Omnivore's Next Dilemma." The video is available here (courtesy of YouTube.com), and also on the TED.com site, which has all sorts of terrific presentations from brilliant people.

How Much Poison Do You Want to Eat?

Posted in Environment, Health on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 12:11pm by lee -

A recent post on Organic Food Now entitled "How Much Poison Do You Want to Eat" provides a bunch of great information related to eating organic food, including whether it's really better for you or not and which foods are most chemical free. It's a discussion that has remained relevant for years, and has recently become even more heated due to the recent peanut butter recall that miraculously impacted several organic food companies (which had been buying non-organic peanuts, apparently).

What Will I Get From My Minnesota/Wisconsin CSA?

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 6:09am by lee -

hv-header1 My friend Jim suggested this post, and I'm glad he did. He's apprehensive about joining a CSA; he seems especially concerned that he'll end up with 200 boxes of radishes. Here's a month-by-month listing (from the Harmony Valley Farm website) that lists the vegetables (and occasional fruits) that will be coming from the Harmony Valley Farm CSA, located in Wisconsin.

"The Good Life" (aka "Good Neighbors")

Posted in Books & Media on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 6:32pm by lee -

I've recently been turned on to the show The Good Life, a British television series that aired from 1975 - 1978 (available in the US as Good Neighbors). The show features Tom and Barbara, a British couple who, on Tom's 40th birthday, decide to try a more self-sufficient lifestyle. They turn their garden into a farm and raise pigs and chickens, among other things. Of course, silliness and buffoonery ensues.