Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Apr 26, 2009 at 21:38:38 PM PDT

• In a poll, people say yes to subsidies for small farmers, and no to subsidies for large farmers.

• My new favorite school lunch blog gives us an update on school food legislation.

• Bonnie at Ethicurean tells all about the Kellogg Food and Society conference I attended last week.

• Coca-Cola denied human rights abuses in China at its annual stockholders' meeting. But this brings up an interesting point - one I've been meaning to discuss here for a while. Shareholders have power to make companies reform - that's what happened to McDonald's earlier this year when shareholders extracted a promise from the company to cut pesticide use in its potatoes.

• Here's a fantastic interview with Curt Ellis of King Corn fame. I got to meet him last week. I was very impressed.

• Check out this article on planting trees in Anacostia, a poor neighborhood in Washington, D.C. I got all excited when I read the title, and then realized once I read the article that they weren't talking about fruit trees. But that's OK. Any trees at all are better than no trees, even if they don't produce food.

• Another terrific article about chickens by one of my favorite farmers, Carol Ann Sayle. She writes about Austin's Funky Chicken Coop Tour.

• Here's an absolutely fantastic not to miss post about Food Inc, the new documentary coming out in a few months. By the way, the blog that posted the terrific article on the film is a blog for another upcoming documentary on food, The Greenhorns, a film about young farmers. Last week I met the incredible Severine Fleming, the film's directors. I definitely recommend checking out her blog and her film.

• Here are instructions for using coffee grounds as fertilizer.

• Want to see a scary animation showing how quickly animals are killed in a slaughterhouse? Check this out.

Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 12:59:21 PM PDT

• Carlos Santana wants Obama to legalize pot. And I'm sorry, Mr. President, but if legendary rockstar Carlos Santana wants you to do something, you do it. So - you'll be pushing that bill through Congress after the recess, then?

• Several large biodiesel producers aren't making any fuel. (Note to readers: If your car runs on biodiesel, you can get it converted to run on SVO. McDonalds - and every Chinese restaurant in America - is STILL making fuel for you.)

• This Blago article has nothing to do with food but it is soooo funny I'm including it anyway. "Hey, you've just been indicted on federal racketeering charges, what are you going to do now?" Blago went to Disney World!

• Alternet gives us 8 ways to join the local food movement. And I'm proposing #9: Blog on this site :)

• Remember that NYT article about the food revolution? Tom Laskawy weighs in with his opinions. I called it a hit piece, he calls it a reality check. Interesting.

• Natasha got to see Food, Inc and she has a nice write up on it. I am sooo jealous. I've only seen a few clips.

• A Kansan writes about the local food movement in Kansas.

• Civil Eats features an interview with Gary Nabhan, author of Where Our Food Comes From.

• From Grist: CDC finds rocket fuel chemical in baby formula. Newsflash to the CDC: The same chemical, perchlorate, is also found in cow's milk and even human breast milk. Houston, we have a problem.

• Obama Foodorama reports on the Obamas' meal by Jamie Oliver at the G20 summit. As she points out, the simplicity of the meal was a good choice - as opposed to a previous meeting in which world leaders discussed global poverty and hunger and then gorged on an 8-course feast. Can I just say here that I have a little crush on Jamie Oliver?

• The Ethicurean features a piece arguing that the cost of local meat is too high. The argument presented is that when a farmer raises only a few animals, they compensate for their lack of volume with high mark-ups. The author believes that these farmers should raise more animals and charge lower prices. If this can be accomplished humanely and sustainably, I'm for it.

Appetizer Sampler Platter

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Mar 04, 2009 at 17:34:13 PM PST

• San Diego's citrus and avocado industries may be in trouble. The reason? Water. Or, rather, lack of water.

• Interested in studying gastronomy in Italy? You get to gorge yourself on fine wines and cheese in Italy and get a college degree for it. Nice! Last week I met up with the university's David Szanto while he was in L.A. I have to admit, I might not be ready to pack my bags for Italia but I sure am jealous!

• Sustainable Table gives instructions to make your own yogurt. OK, now I am seriously sad I don't know of any local dairies near me. Homemade yogurt looks yummy. Hat tip to Natasha Chart for this.

• Civil Eats celebrates National Eat the Stuff in our Freezers and Pantry Week. I'm not sure I can celebrate. Do cashews and dried beans go stale if they've been sitting on a shelf for 2-4 years?

• Marion Nestle went to see Food, Inc and she gives it two thumbs up. I've only seen clips and heard a talk by the director and stars Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan about the making of the movie. It's going to be a BIG DEAL when this comes out.

• Grist answers the question "Can you compost tainted food?" Their answer, in short, is NO. If you've got food that's been recalled due to salmonella or other toxic microbes, throw that shit away!

• Chef Kurt Michael Friese isn't done yet picking on KFC's cheap chicken ads. He says they hide the true cost of the food. It's a pretty funny take on the ad, especially when he goes into the fine print and translates it from lawyer into English. "The chicken is fresh, except for when it's not." Yum. (Here's his previous commentary on KFC ads.)

• Check out this article about a foodie who gleans the Bay Area's unwanted fruit, herbs, and nuts from residential trees.

• The Ethicurean tells about volunteering at a free lunch program in New England. It's a really well-written and touching story from a first-person point of view. I definitely recommend taking a look, especially if you've ever considered volunteering yourself.