Local Food

Obamafoodorama.com

I continue to find all sorts of great information and links from the Every Kitchen Table blog by Rob Smart. One ofobamafoodorama my new favorites is Obamafoodorama, a blog dedicated to the First Family and the foodies who surround them. Who knew how perfect a fit that White House Garden was? Turns out it was just the tip of the iceberg!

Read more »

NY Times on Eating Better Food, Organic or Not

My friend Chris recently pointed me to a terrific NY Times article by Mark Bittman from thnytimes-organicis past weekend. The article talks about the value of eating organic food as well as the numbers of people who are starting to buy and eat "at least some" organic food (30%, according to the article).

Read more »

Big Bull Jerky is No Bull

I've made no secret of my love for beef jerky, and I've recently got my hands on a new favorite: Big Bull Brand beef jerky. I found it at my local Kowalski's in South Minneapolis, but you can order it online or visit the Big Bull beef jerky store in St. Paul, MN. Big Bull offers 15 flavors of beef jerky, including Jalapeno Six Pepper, Honey Maple, and "Texican." At $8.92 for 3 ounces, it's not cheap. I tried Big Bull (Teriyaki and Habanero flavors) because its packaging tells me that:

Read more »

Food4Thought.com: Bringing CSAs to Your Doorstep

food4thoughtlogoTony Pavelko, who recently started the Twin Cities company Food4Thought with Gina DiMaggio, recently sent me an email describing the service:

Read more »

Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I'm still near the start of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, and really liking it. It's my first Kingsolver book, so I king-folksdon't have strong feelings about the author either way (most people I know who've read her books do), but I'm really enjoying the way she describes her family moving east to become closer to the land and, more specifically, to the food they eat.

Read more »

Alice Waters on 60 Minutes and NYTimes.com

Alice Waters of Chez Panisse was featured on 60 Minutes this week. Not just for "the Prius driving, latte-sipping upper crust," Alice Waters feels that good, local food should be for everyone. Good food is not a privilege, Waters says, it's a right. "The way that we're eating," she says, "is making us sick...

Read more »

Tour de Farm: Great Chefs on Location at MN Farms

tour-de-farm-farmThanks to Hidden Stream Farm's mailing letter, I just got wind of Tour de Farm, which is the new way I'm thinking of organizing my summer.

Read more »

Buying Irish for St. Patrick's Day

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, a post about buying food that's local to Ireland. Found a great post from the Value Ireland website, quoting Irish Minister for State Tony Killeen. Here's a quote from Value Ireland:

“I would ask consumers to purchase local this year in solidarity with domestic producers who like everyone else have felt the effects of the economic recession,” stated the Minister of State.

Read more »

Choosing a CSA

CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) provide opportunities for people to eat locally, the get the kinds of foods you would normally find at local farmers markets, and to take part in the agricultural process. Most CSAs require some sort of ongoing commitment, such as a monthly fee in exchange for a weekly box of locally grown vegetables. Depending on where you live, the weekly box may include a wide assortment of mostly-root vegetables (kale, cabbage, squash, turnips in Minnesota, for example) or of anything else grown on a particular farm, in a particular climate. Many CSAs encourage their members to work at the farm for a day or more, to better understand the farming process and to get closer to local, sustainable food. Some require it. When I tell friends that I recently joined the Harmony Valley Farm CSA, they often start asking questions. Why did I join it? Am I concerned about the cost?

Read more »

Star Tribune Features Local Food

strinThe Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune recently ran a story about how more people are eating local food and joining CSAs. It's a good article that speaks to increased awareness on the part of Twin Cities eaters. This year, there are more than 40 CSAs serving the Twin Cities (30% more than last year), and the folks at Health Partners are embarking on a study to see if local, sustainable foods might reduce health care costs down the line. Here's a quote from the article:

Read more »
Syndicate content