Agriculture
Organic Farming Takes Root in Eastern Germany
Today's post comes from guest writer Clay Risen, who is currently in Germany for two months on a journalism fellowship. Christian Lindner, a farmer in Lietzow, about 25 miles east of Berlin, has been bringing his organic produce to Berlin’s farmers’ markets for years—23 years, to be exact. But it’...
September 11, 2009 |
By admin
A Brief History of American Farm Labor
The observance of Labor Day, which was declared a national holiday in 1894, is usually associated more with the organized labor movement in industry than in agriculture. But some of America's most significant labor milestones have taken place in the fields, not the factories.In the colonial era, mo...
September 04, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Food Tattoos
Ever peel one of those pesky stickers off a piece of supermarket produce, and end up with a gooey or skinless spot marring an otherwise lovely nectarine or tomato? Ever been stuck waiting in the checkout line while the cashier ponders whether to ring up organic or regular bananas, since the sticker...
August 31, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Is a Sugar Shortage Looming?
It's often said that Americans are addicted to oil—witness the tizzy that ensued last summer when pump prices topped $4 per gallon in many places. But if there's one substance we're nearly as dependent on, it's sugar—in our treats, in our packaged foods, in our coffee (America may "run on Dunkin',"...
August 28, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Five Ways to Eat Fresh Figs
I hope I didn't freak you out too much last week by pointing out that most figs have bugs in them—tiny wasps that basically dissolve within the fruit as it ripens—because fresh figs are wonderful! They're in season in many places right now, so enjoy them while you can.Due to a vacationing neighbor'...
August 27, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Breadfruit, the Holy Grail of Grocery Shopping
About a month ago, one of our editors asked me if I could write a brief web piece on cooking with breadfruit, to accompany an upcoming piece about Jamaica in the magazine's travel issue (now online)."Sure," I said, after a little Googling to determine what the heck a breadfruit is. They grow on a t...
August 25, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Cooking with the Season
As I explained a few months ago, my husband and I have been participating in a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program for the first time this year.I can't recommend the experience strongly enough; if you have the chance to sign up for one in your area next year, do it! Our half-share worked ...
August 24, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Fresh Figs, and Bugs?
Our neighbor went on vacation this month with a heavy heart, knowing she'd miss eating most of the figs just starting to weigh down the branches of her backyard tree. So she asked us to do her a "favor" and eat as many as we could before the birds got to them. Being the kind-hearted souls that we a...
August 20, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Five Ways to Eat Tomatoes
If you have a garden, a seasonal CSA share, or a generous friend with either of those things—and if your region escaped the blight—then I bet you've got a lot of tomatoes on your hands right now. (Maybe they're even heirloom tomatoes, which some swear are superior, though others disagree.) Here are...
August 17, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Sheep, Chicks and Geese Scurry at the County Fair
As photographer Dan Nelken has catalogued, the county fair is the place for family farms to showcase their prized livestock
August 14, 2009 |
By Brian Wolly
Why Does Corn Have Silk?
Why does corn have silk? I mean, I think it's fun to tear through the husk to reveal the ear, like unwrapping a present, but picking those sticky little strings off the kernels quickly turns tedious.So why doesn't someone invent silk-less corn, like seedless watermelon, to make life easier for lazy...
August 06, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Ugly Watermelons Get a Second Life
Today is one of those odd unofficial holidays that I never noticed until I became a food blogger: National Watermelon Day. (Picked up this fact from Foodimentary via Twitter.)Which makes a convenient excuse to keep pigging out on the luscious melon I bought this weekend at a local farm stand. It's ...
August 03, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Food of the Moment: Squash Blossoms
I'm used to being invaded by squash at this time of year, as many of you probably are too—paper sacks full of zucchini left on the front porch by neighbors were a common perk (or hazard) of small-town Vermont summers.This summer, I'm noticing squash all over the place again, but in a less familiar ...
July 30, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Discovered: A Prehistoric Pantry
Our prehistoric ancestors didn't have supermarkets stocked with corn flakes (or crunchberries, fortunately), but they apparently found ways to stock up on cereal grains as long as 11,300 years ago—even before they managed to domesticate plants.Anthropologists Ian Kuijt and Bill Finlayson have disco...
July 28, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Terrible Terroir
Vintners in two of the world's biggest wine-producing regions, California and South Africa, have been fretting lately, and not just about the global recession. At least the economy affects all grape-growing nations more or less across the board. But the problem these winemakers have is decidedly si...
July 17, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Swiss Chard Pizza
As I mentioned earlier, Mr. FaT and I are buying most of our fruits and veggies through a CSA share program for the first time. A month in, I'm totally hooked, and the produce section at my local supermarket seems almost like a different planet—what are those rock-hard things masquerading as tomato...
June 15, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Honey, I Shrunk the Watermelon!
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the increasing popularity of mini-cattle among budget-conscious farmers, and expressed my personal reservations about eating something so petite and adorable. I have no such compunctions, however, about the Pepquiño, a newly available fruit that resembles a tiny ...
June 09, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Downsizing Livestock with Mini-Cattle
The other day, the Los Angeles Times did a story on the increasing number of ranchers and farmers raising miniature cattle to cut costs and produce meat and milk more efficiently.These cows average 500 to 700 pounds, about half the weight of their full-figured counterparts, but they are not genetic...
May 29, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Before Rosie the Riveter, Farmerettes Went to Work
During WWI, the Woman’s Land Army of America mobilized women into sustaining American farms and building national pride
May 29, 2009 |
By Elaine F. Weiss
Asparagus Fries
Hi, my name is Amanda, and I'm addicted to asparagus. In all forms, really, but my latest obsession is a little embarrassing, since I like to think of myself as a healthy eater: Asparagus Fries. Or in other words...Fried Asparagus.I blame an old friend for getting me hooked. A few months ago, she t...
May 28, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
