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Author |
Published |
Section |
Slow Down, Slow Food!
Slow Food Nation was magnificent in many ways, but overshot its mandate |
Tom Philpott |
05 Sep 2008 |
Victual Reality |
| Photo: karmacamilleeon Slow Food Nation -- that grand, sprawling culinary event that seemed to permeate San Francisco over Labor Day weekend -- has passed. Now we can ask: What was it? A brazen display of foodie elitism, as some critics charge? A transformative moment in an ongoing effort to overthrow the industrial food system, as its organizers sometimes hinted? Slow Food N ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Alice Waters, environmental justice, food, green living, San Francisco, slow food, Victual Reality (all these topics) |
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Rot and Sold
On storing produce |
Umbra Fisk |
21 Jul 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Hi Umbra, Quick question: What is the best way to store vegetables in the refrigerator? I have a small crisper drawer and lots of vegetables from the CSA box. I don't want to use plastic bags but unfortunately they work well. Any suggestions? Thanks! Kati N. Washington, D.C. Dearest Kati, Did you say CSA box? You mean, you subscribed to a Community Supported Agriculture farm and are receiving weekly boxes of delicious, fresh, local vege ... |
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| Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, food, green living (all these topics) |
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Beyond-Organic Buzz
As summer heats up, a tasting of six 'natural' white wines |
Tom Philpott |
15 Jul 2008 |
The Bottom Line |
| As summer heats up, a tasting of six "natural" white wines By Tom Philpott 15 Jul 2008 When it comes to white wine, the nose knows. Photo: Tyler Bell When the summer sun rages, there are few antidotes more pleasing than a light dinner and a glass of chilled white wine. Of course, as summers get hotter, it gets more difficult to enjoy that indulgence without thinking about climate change and other ecological degradation. And that leads to a natural question: Wher ... |
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| Topics: advice, agriculture, food, green living, green products, The Bottom Line (all these topics) |
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Wal-Mart Comes to the Farmers Market
As the ground shifts under their feet, food giants experiment with new strategies |
Tom Philpott |
11 Jul 2008 |
Victual Reality |
| When you smile, the food world smiles with you ... maybe. Photo: Original by heatkernel For more than a generation, the major corporations that process and sell the vast bulk of our food have had it pretty easy. They've had access to cheap energy to ship food over globe-spanning distances and run giant food-processing plants; reveled in cheap inpu ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, business, food, green living, industrial ag, shopping, Victual Reality, Walmart (all these topics) |
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Flood, Sweat, and a Good Trout Mousse
Iowa's chefs and their farmer-suppliers get busy recovering from disaster |
Kurt Michael Friese |
26 Jun 2008 |
Chef's Diary |
| Roads and restaurants may be closed, but Iowa is getting back on its feet. Photo: Kurt Michael Friese The weather here in Iowa City has been gorgeous for more than a week. Is Mother Nature trying to make amends? While she smiles on us, she's still causing trouble for our friends to the south. The horrendous flooding continues, breeching nearly every l ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Chef's Diary, food, green living, recipes, severe weather (all these topics) |
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Our Ruined Harvest
As corn and soy fields drown in rainwater, the food crisis deepens |
Tom Philpott |
13 Jun 2008 |
Victual Reality |
| A cornucopia of bad circumstances. Here in the United States, we grow 44 percent of the world's corn crop, and 38 percent of its soy. For the great bulk of that massive harvest, we rely on a single region: the Midwestern farm belt. And over the past couple of weeks, torrential rains have hammered that area, at a particularly sensitive time for its grand swath of corn and soybean pla ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, climate, food, green living, severe weather, shopping, Victual Reality (all these topics) |
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Certified organic, fair-trade free riders
If you support the standards but not the certifiers, then what? |
JMG |
22 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| At my local Saturday farmers market, I stopped to buy some coffee at the local roaster's booth. I was eying the wares when I noticed that the spendy bags of coffee ($9 for 12 oz.) labeled 'Fair Trade' didn't have the any independent certification of that fact. I asked the guy behind the booth, and he said, 'Well, it is fair trade coffee, and the owners pay the fair trade price, but they don't want to pay for the label mark because it just pays people here in the U.S. -- ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, farmers markets, food, green living, organic food, shopping (all these topics) |
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Do Me a Fava
On soil health |
Umbra Fisk |
07 May 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I asked about fava beans about two weeks ago, and have not had a response back. I have had no luck researching it myself, and would really appreciate a response. I asked at what point in the plant's life did it produce nitro for the soil? For fullest nitro replenishment, should I let the plant seed? Die off? If I pull the plant out, will the nitro stay in the soil? I thank you for your time. KLK Aptos, Calif. Dearest KLK, You'll ... |
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| Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, green living (all these topics) |
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Get That Green Collar Dirty
The candidates are overlooking the ultimate green-collar job |
Anna Lappé |
22 Apr 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| Amid the din of the Pennsylvania primary and Earth Day, it seems a fitting time to talk about where the Democratic candidates stand when it comes to Mother Earth. Have the leading Dems forgotten America's greenest job? Photo: Freaking News Both candidates have called for ushering in a new green economy. Sen. Barack Obama has stressed that a green economy would not only save on energ ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, green living, politics (all these topics) |
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Hole in the Middle
To make local food more accessible, time to revive mid-sized farms |
Tom Philpott |
18 Apr 2008 |
Victual Reality |
| Most people probably don't think of Carrboro, North Carolina -- a bustling town just outside of Chapel Hill -- as a food lover's paradise. But walk into the town's beloved farmers market on a spring Saturday morning, and you see an impressive bounty on display. Cash for comestibles in Carrboro. Right now, it's still greens season. Table after table bursts with bright stacks of colla ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, farmers markets, food, green living, local food, Victual Reality (all these topics) |
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Poll: Rising food prices
Are you spending more money on food? |
Grist |
16 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Food prices are soaring around the globe. Have you felt the pinch? Take our poll and tell us. You can vote below the fold. And read recent Grist content on the topic: Why Michael Pollan and Alice Waters should quit celebrating food-price hikes How expensive is food, really? Higher food prices mean crappier cafeteria fare for kids |
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| Topics: agriculture, business, economy, food, green living, shopping (all these topics) |
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School-lunch crunch
Higher food prices mean crappier cafeteria fare for kids |
Tom Philpott |
16 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| As food prices rise, who gets hit first and hardest? Clearly, urban dwellers in the global south, where people spend upwards of half of their incomes on food. According to the Wall Street Journal, here's the ever-growing list of nations that have experienced food-price riots:Rioting in response to soaring food prices recently has broken out in Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Ethiopia. In Pakistan and Thailand, army troops have been deployed to ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, education, food, green living, health, parenting (all these topics) |
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Going With the Grain
While food prices rise, here's a stick-to-your-ribs pasta dish that won't cause sticker shock |
Roz Cummins |
10 Apr 2008 |
'Tis the Season |
| Every time I go to the supermarket lately, I get sticker shock. Why is it suddenly costing an arm and a leg to keep body and soul together? Part of the explanation lies in recent developments at the gas station. Skyrocketing fuel prices translate to higher costs for growing and transporting food -- and higher retail prices for us. Then there's the biof ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, green living, recipes, Tis the Season (all these topics) |
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Vanity is Green
Digging into the relationships between business and environmentalism |
Maywa Montenegro |
07 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Admittedly, this is more of a link dump than a true blog post, but sometimes the green goodness is too good to pass up ... As Sarah and David have mentioned, the May edition of Vanity Fair is their third annual green issue. Featuring, ironically, the material girl on the cover, it's crammed with features that will enlighten, illuminate, and ... disturb.Pulitzer prize-winning journalists Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele investigate Monsanto. ('We've never writt ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, business, celebrity, green living, music, shopping (all these topics) |
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Cotton the Moment
Misleading cotton ads banned in U.K. |
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13 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:07 AM on 13 Mar 2008 Poster and magazine ads by the U.S. cotton industry have been banned in Britain. The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority can put the kibosh on advertising deemed to be greenwashing, and regulators took issue with the cotton ads' claim that the crop is "soft, sensual, and sustainable." The ad authority pointed out that cotton is a "pesticide- and insecticide-intensive crop" and can " ... |
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| Topics: advertising, agriculture, business, green living, greenwashing, news, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Cash and Carroty
On joining a CSA |
Umbra Fisk |
10 Mar 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Umbra, I have heard mention of community-supported agriculture programs but don't really know what they are. The name sounds very cool, but can you let me in on the specifics? Bryties Redding, Calif. Dearest Bryties, The springtime alarm is sounding, and your question is perfectly timed. Some of you might be experiencing hints of spring right now, some not (like me! I'm in a secret location where the all-time snowfall record is under t ... |
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| Topics: advice, agriculture, Ask Umbra, food, green living (all these topics) |
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Pay Rent and Eat Too?
Rising food prices hit home around the world |
Tom Philpott |
06 Mar 2008 |
Victual Reality |
| Is a change coming to your cart? Photo: iStockphoto Hey you, in the supermarket line -- yeah, you, the one with the stuffed cart. Are you ready to pay up for those groceries? You'd better be, pal. That's the message from Bill Lapp, former chief economist for the food giant Conagra. "I think [U.S.] consumers are more prepared than we realize to accept higher prices on food and I think that's pa ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, environmental justice, food, green living, shopping, Victual Reality (all these topics) |
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Blood and chocolate
Fortune mag: widespread poverty and child labor in the cocoa-producing world |
Tom Philpott |
19 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
| While I was waxing euphoric last week about Fair Trade and ultra-fancy chocolate ahead of Valentine's Day, interesting things were happening in the chocolate world.Regulators in Germany raided the offices of seven corporate chocolate makers -- including Nestle, Kraft, and Mars -- investigating allegations of price fixing. Six food conglomerates process half of the world's cocoa, giving them tremendous leverage on price. Usually, they use their market power to squeeze fa ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, consumerism, food, green living (all these topics) |
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Hot Chocolates
A review of six eco-chocolate brands, for your Valentine's pleasure |
Tom Philpott |
12 Feb 2008 |
The Bottom Line |
| The connection between chocolate and Eros runs deep. How do I love thee? Let me taste the ways. Photo: iStockphoto In southern Mexico -- where chocolate cultivation probably originated -- the treat figured among the wedding rituals of the ancient Maya. By the time it became popular in Europe in the 18th century, a Venetian named Casanova was crediting chocolate with boosting his romanti ... |
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| Topics: advice, agriculture, food, green living, organic food, shopping, The Bottom Line (all these topics) |
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A rose by an organic name -- would it smell as sweet?
What qualifies as a green flower? |
Sarah van Schagen |
04 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Roses are red,Violets are blue,But if you want a greener choice,What the hell should you do? The NYT asks that very question (minus the poetic flair, of course) and struggles to answer it: And as in other industries with increasing demand for green products, the floral industry is debating what is environmentally correct. Should flowers be organic -- that is, grown without synthetic or toxic pesticides? Or should the emphasis be on fair trade, meaning that th ... |
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| Topics: green living, agriculture (all these topics) |
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Edible Media: Anti-local yokel
Joel Stein of Time takes a poke at the locavores |
Tom Philpott |
15 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The contrarian in me grinned when I read the concept. Time columnist Joel Stein pulls an anti-Pollan: He will cook dinner using only ingredients that traveled at least 3,000 miles from his home in L.A. And -- deliciously -- he will do his shopping at Whole Foods, which he declares 'the local-food movement's most treasured supermarket, the one that has huge locally grown signs next to the fruits and vegetables.' Ha, ha. It is a pretty funny joke -- especially on t ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, green living, local food, magazines, shopping (all these topics) |
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Dropping (Fatty) Acid
Organic food healthier than non-organic, research finds |
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29 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:16 PM on 29 Oct 2007 Who woulda thunk: Organic food is healthier than pesticide-ridden food, according to preliminary results of a four-year study funded by the European Union. Researchers found that organic nosh contained more antioxidants (yum!) and less fatty acids (ew!) than non-organic. Organic milk was found to have up to 80 percent more antioxidants than conventional cow juice, as well as higher amo ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, green living, health, news, organic food, scientific research (all these topics) |
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Second Helpings
Sustainable Table's Diane Hatz answers reader questions |
Katharine Wroth |
19 Oct 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Earlier this week, we spoke with sustainable-food advocate Diane Hatz, who was fresh off an eating tour of the United States. Today, Hatz answers reader questions on everything from seafood to the farm bill to the best pie she encountered on her travels -- complete with links to the recipes. What's Sustainable Table's take on tropical products that can't be grown locally in the U.S. -- coffee, ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, green living, industrial ag, sustainable ag (all these topics) |
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Snack and Diane
An interview with sustainable-food advocate Diane Hatz |
Katharine Wroth |
15 Oct 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Ever dreamed of eating your way across the country? This summer, Diane Hatz did just that on the Eat Well Guided Tour of America. Convinced there was more to the sustainable-food movement than met the eye (i.e., it ain't just happening on the coasts), Hatz and her colleagues from Sustainable Table partnered with several other organizations to organize a 25-city tour that stretched from West Ho ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, green living, industrial ag, sustainable ag (all these topics) |
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In the Belly of the Beast
The savory challenges of being a sustainable chef in Big Ag country |
Kurt Michael Friese |
11 Oct 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Fifteen years ago, I left a great job teaching at a prestigious northeast culinary school to move back to Iowa and be an executive chef at a Holiday Inn. It was difficult to find people, in Vermont or Iowa, who did not think I was certifiably insane. Those who thought they knew Iowa claimed, "There's no there there!" And those who did not asked, "Iowa? I ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, food, green living, Iowa, recipes, sustainable ag (all these topics) |
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