October 2010

5 Food-Policy Questions for Minnesota Gubernatorial Candidates: Who Answers and Who Doesn't?

The big election news in Minnesota is the gubernatorial race. Whomever we choose to be our new governor – Mark Dayton, Tom Emmer or Tom Horner – will have to hit the ground running to balance the budget, work with an increasingly polarized group of legislators, and turn around an economy that has decimated jobs, home values, and funding for infrastructure, healthcare, and public education.

Read more »

A Farm Bill Primer: Getting Ready for 2012

As a child of the Midwest, I’ve been surrounded by farms and farmers my whole life. Most of my immigrant forebears were farmers, and there’s a good chance that yours were, too. Although I’ve chosen a city lot instead of my grandfather’s alfalfa fields (at least for now), I’m quite interested in what will happen in the 2012 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill affects not just farmers, but everyone who eats -- and that’s all of us. The bill, with its grand scope and billions of dollars, will help define what we eat (and, thus, who we are) in thousands of subtle ways.

Read more »

The Troubling Facts Surrounding “Troubled Waters”

A locally-produced film has been stirring up plenty of controversy in Minnesota’s agricultural and education communities. “Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story” is a documentary produced by the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum about pollution and water contamination in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.

Read more »

Support Fair Trade Month with Halloween Treats that are Easy to Stomach

For us at Simple, Good, and Tasty, Halloween turns out to be a little bit problematic.

Most of the reasons for this are pretty obvious: most candy isn't local, isn't healthy, and isn't fair trade. Last year's post about fair trade chocolate and reverse trick-or-treating elicited strong response from readers who wanted to enjoy their treats without feeling guilty about it.

Read more »

Can a Locavore Eat Chocolate, Coffee and Bananas with a Clear Conscience?

Chances are, if you’re a regular visitor to this web site, you proudly support the mission of local, sustainable farms: you’re a member of your neighborhood food co-op; you shop at farmers markets; you subscribe to a regular CSA delivery; you spend your Saturdays crop-mobbing; and you eat in restaurants that are similarly committed to supporting local farmers.

Pat yourself on the back. You’re an informed and conscientious locavore – and darn proud of it. You care about your food’s origin, its environmental impact, and its connection to the community.

So, tell me: Is it possible to honor these values if you eat food that’s not grown within a 100-mile radius, maybe even a 1,000-mile radius, of where you live? Are you able to eat bananas, grapes and chocolate, and drink coffee and tea, with a clear conscience?

Read more »

Your CSA Box: A Mark Bittman Double Header

My last CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box of the year from Foxtail Farm was both a festival of fall and a chock full of vitamins: garlic, bok choi, broccoli, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, peppers, Brussels sprouts, and onions.

Read more »

Get Your Apples: Good to the Core

Although the Minnesota apple harvest begins in August, for a lot of folks apple season goes hand in hand with the changing and falling of leaves. Apples are a fantastic late summer treat, but there’s nothing like a crisp, freshly-harvested apple (or a hot apple crisp!) on a brisk autumn day.

Walk into a typical supermarket and you’ll see several shades of these sweet treats proudly taking up some serious real estate in the produce aisle. Yet this is a mere smattering of the 7,500 varieties grown around the world. According to Rebecca Wood, author of The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, “Because every apple seed contains unique genetic material, you can plant ten seeds from a single apple and get ten different kinds of apple trees. However most of our commercial varieties lack genetic diversity.”

Read more »

Book Review: Ana Micka’s "The Fresh Girl’s Guide to Easy Canning and Preserving"

I grew up in rural Minnesota, where my parents have a big back yard with an abundant vegetable garden, and where every summer brings a plethora of tomatoes, peppers, and onions. My mom is a canner, and she taught me there's really only one way to deal with all of these summer foods: canning. My mom spends plenty of time in the kitchen in August and September, peeling, chopping, and stewing the season's bounty. After all is said and done, several clean, hot jars of salsa sit on towels on the kitchen counter. My mom waits in the other room, listening for the sealing “pop,” counting to be sure each jar has properly sealed itself.

Read more »

2nd Annual Wisconsin Cheese Originals’ Festival Offers One Very Cheesy Weekend

Although Wisconsin has an abundance of fabulous local foods to enjoy, it is—of course—most recognized for its cheese (it has been nicknamed The Dairy State, after all). It should come as no surprise then that there is an entire weekend dedicated to the well-loved dairy product every year. 

The 2nd annual Wisconsin Cheese Originals’ Festival celebrates Wisconsin cheese on the weekend of November 5th in downtown Madison. Jeanne Carpenter, Executive Director of Wisconsin Cheese Originals, says that the event “really has become the premier destination for foodies and cheese enthusiasts around the country who want to meet Wisconsin cheesemakers and taste new artisan cheeses. It’s a pretty unique event.” The festival is not for the casual cheese eater. No-no, my friends, this is one cheese-intensive weekend! 

Read more »

Gorkha Palace Offers Local Yak and Other Tasty Nepalese Delights

Although my love for restaurants that serve good food -- real food, whole food, food grown locally and raised ethically -- is well documented on this site, I've tended to be less effusive in my praise of ethnic restaurants. The reason for this is simple: finding an ethnic restaurant that sources local food can be a challenge.

Read more »