A few weeks ago, I was kicking around in Adams Morgan on a Saturday morning. The residue from Snowpocalypse 2010 had finally melted, the sun was shining, and I was feeling fine. I turned the corner onto Columbia Road, and saw a big white delivery truck where a smiling, bearded man was handing happy people boxes of gorgeous produce. “What’s this?†I thought. I meandered over to......read more
Over at Grist, Bonnie Azab Powell reports that farmers markets are growing like weeds all over the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 6,132 farmers markets in the United States, a 16% increase from last year and a 214% increase from 2000. California leads the charge with 580 markets, followed by New York, Illinois, and Michigan. However, only one sixth of......read more
If, like us, you're into eating sustainably and supporting local agriculture, but you're not as into driving across town to the closest farmers' market, then get stoked for the latest trend in food distribution: Mobile Farm Trucks. Like a CSA on wheels, Mobile Farm Trucks (or Mobile Farmers' Markets) deliver farm fresh produce to urban and rural communities. As Judi Gerber of......read more
This video is either the perfect visual interpretation of the new Band Of Horses song, or totally off the mark. Directed by photographer Christopher Wilson, the trippy nature photomontage seems a bit detached from the rootsy vibe of the tune. But then the intertwining landscapes somehow fit with vague lyrics questioning the existence of God. In any case, it looks cool. The new Band Of Horses......read more
As executive chef of beswarmed NYC hotspots The Spotted Pig and The Breslin, April Bloomfield has earned a reputation for creating simple, unpretentious dishes with meat playing the starring role. But, as we learned from Nowness, the celebrated chef is big into veggies too. “I love my veggies,†says the chef. “Sometimes I could just do without the meat.†Brazilian......read more
It's been a tumultuous few years for Isabelle Cossart. First, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, then Hurricane Katrina tore through her neighborhood, then her husband left her for her best friend. In the ensuing divorce she was left with a three-plus acre fruit orchard, and was suddenly transformed into a farmer. Turns out she's pretty good at it. The produce from Cossart's......read more
Leafy greens get a bum rap. You're not going to find many die-hard fanatics of kale or chard. Mention to your household that you're cooking turnip, mustard, collard or beet greens for dinner, and you're likely to be met with a scrunched up face or two. At the Portland Farmers Market Blog, we stumbled on a great post from Jane Pellicciotto, who offers some convincing arguments in......read more
We're a month into the new year. If you're a student, that means it's due time to start figuring out gainful employment for the summer. Sucks, we know, but you can't just laze away four months in the sun. What you can do is work at something meaningful and productive in the name of local, sustainable food. Helene York, of Bon-Appetit, a sustainable food services company, has compiled a nice and......read more
It seems like one step forward, two steps back for the environmental movement these days. The once-high hopes of achieving national and/or international action on climate change have faded to a mere memory. Backward-thinking Republicans are attacking the Environmental Protection Agency in Congress. Eco-minded folks are getting bummed. But another movement, one that shares a common ethos with......read more
It's no secret that young people are psyched on farming these days. Nowhere is that more evident than in rural Oregon, where NYT writer Isolde Rafferty discovered a burgeoning movement of young farmers making a run at small-scale agriculture by doing things the old school way. Shunning the ways of industrial farming, the new generation of ranchers and growers are capitalizing on heightened demand......read more