Blog

Simple, Good, and Tasty Offers Fair-Trade Ugandan Peaberry Coffee

Posted in Out & About on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 7:46am by lee -

I'm super excited to let you know that, for a limited time, Simple, Good, and Tasty is offering our own fair trade coffee through our partnership with Peace Coffee. This coffee is one of my absolute favorites, organic Ugandan peaberry. The gorgeous label, shown above, was designed by my friend Stuart Flake of What Agency Inc., who also designed the Simple, Good, and Tasty logo.

THIS COFFEE IS COMPLETELY SOLD OUT, SORRY!

Cooking is an Activity Too

Posted in Family & Home, News & Views on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 7:44am by lee -

Image Credit: Kate SommersThe issue of time - specifically, how long it takes to cook and eat fresh, local, and organic food and how little time most people have - comes up again and again in my discussions with parents and friends who are considering making a change in their eating habits. (Not surprisingly, the other topic that comes up again and again is the cost of good food. Much has been compellingly written about the true cost of cheap food, and I encourage you to check it out.)

Obama's Chef Sam Kass: "We have a lot of major challenges, the origin of which is food."

Posted in Out & About on Sun, 11/08/2009 - 8:35am by Shari Danielson -

The following excerpt is from “A White House Chef Who Wears Two Hats,” published this week in the New York Times. It offers a profile of the Obama family’s personal chef, Sam Kass, who serves up policy advice along with his own style of local, organic cooking. Read how a 29-year-old with a history degree and looks that earned him a slot on People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People list is now one of the most influential advocates for a better, more sustainable food system.

The Last Weekly Farmshare Delivery of the Season

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Sat, 11/07/2009 - 8:17am by lee -

This is Harmony Valley's last weekly farmshare for 2009 - after this week, deliveries will come only every other week through the end of the year. I can't help but feel a little bit sad about it, although I know it'll give me a good opportunity to try new foods at my local co-op - and maybe even to get out to the St. Paul Farmers Market a few times in January.

6 Reasons Why It’s Fun to Eat Local

Posted in News & Views on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 7:56am by Amy Boland -

The only reasons why I do anything are because it is fun now, it allows things to be fun later, or it ensures that things will continue being fun. Eating? Fun now. Working? Fun later when I eat what I bought with my paycheck. Shoveling the walk? Ensures that when I haul my groceries into the house, I don’t slip, fall, and ruin the fun of eating them.

So, obviously, the main reason why I’d buy local food is because it’s fun in so many ways:

Sneakers Not Required: Good, Local Food Provides Inspiration in a Suburban Health Club

Posted in Out & About on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 11:12pm by Shari Danielson -

Try to guess what suburban restaurant serves locally-raised, grass-fed, beef short ribs with caramelized-onion potato puree, and horseradish gremolata; baked, free-range, Larry Schultz chicken with herb filling, wilted spinach, and caramelized-shallot, marsala, pan sauce; pastured pork, braised in apple cider and served with red cabbage, local apples, and ginger yams -- plus three kinds of burgers: bison, yellow-fin tuna, and walnut wild-rice.

Consider Banning the (Water) Bottle

Posted in Environment, News & Views on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 7:58am by lee -

Bottled water ain't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, it's better than the alternatives you'll find in a Coke machine, but filling your own bottle with tap water is even better. An excellent, recent Lighter Footstep article gives us Five Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water. Here's an excerpt:

Respect for the Bird: Where to Find Your Local, Pastured, Thanksgiving Turkey

Posted in Farms & Gardens, Out & About on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 10:50pm by Shari Danielson -

I feel sorry for turkeys. They get no respect. For instance, the word “turkey” has become a commonly used derogatory term, as in, “You turkey!” And, whether or not it’s true, turkeys have a reputation for being so, shall we say, “intellectually challenged,” that they can drown looking up in a rain storm. Even our esteemed founding fathers thumbed their noses at the turkey, choosing the bald eagle, instead, as the national bird. (Supposedly, the quirky Ben Franklin was the gobbler’s only advocate.)